Romo agrees to 6-year, $108M extension
Quarterback Tony Romo, whose success has been a point of debate since he became a starter, agreed to a six-year, $108 million extension with the Dallas Cowboys, the team announced Friday.
Combined with the $11.5 million Romo is scheduled to make in 2013, he is under contract for the next seven years and could earn as much as $119.5 million. It is believed to be the largest deal in the history of the team.
The extension includes $55 million in guaranteed money, according to multiple reports.
One of the goals of the extension was to provide some flexibility for the Cowboys, who have very little room under the salary cap. Romo, 33, had been scheduled to count $16.8 million against the 2013 cap.
Romo received a $25 million signing bonus, and his base salary for this year is $1.5 million. The new deal saved the Cowboys $5 million on this year's cap.
Despite passing for 4,903 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, Romo was intercepted an NFL-high 19 times and the Cowboys fell short of the playoffs. The knock against him continues to be his lack of postseason success -- he has one postseason victory in eight seasons -- but Romo has received strong support from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who made a long-term extension a priority this offseason.
"This is a significant day in terms of securing stability for our team for the future," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "Tony is uniquely qualified to lead this team at the quarterback position for the next several years. He has an abundance of experience and familiarity with our offensive philosophy, our head coach and the personnel around him. He is moving into a period of time where he can maximize all of his natural skills while continuing to build upon the talents that he has developed since entering the NFL. He has a proven-veteran-quarterback grasp of the intellectual side of the game. He knows how to run an offense and run a team. He knows how to win games and has done it in a lot of different settings and under a lot of difficult circumstances.
"We couldn't be more excited about moving onto the next several years with Tony, a time where he will have a significant level of input and contribution to the planning and implementing of our offensive approach - both in the meeting room and on the field. In today's game, every NFL franchise understands the importance of production and continuity at the quarterback position, and, historically, few franchises have enjoyed those benefits more than the Dallas Cowboys. We are very confident in this investment and commitment."
The Cowboys submitted their first proposal last week, and Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones had been negotiating this week with one of Romo's agents, R.J. Gonser of CAA.
