Landing Zones

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ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 05: Tony Romo #9 of the Dallas Cowboys directs the Cowboy offense against the Houston Texans in the first half at AT&T Stadium on October 5, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Thanks, Tony. To quote Don Meredith, “It was a goodun’.”

Tony Romo is almost certain to be in different uniform next year, right? I mean, Dak Prescott just had one of the best seasons a quarterback can have with 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions on his way to offensive rookie of the year.

So where does Tony land? The list of possible candidates is plentiful, each with pros and cons.

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Let’s start with taking a look at his contract, which expires in 2019. Romo is slated to make $14 million in 2017 and $40 million more over the two seasons after that. He’s tough to trade and tough to keep. The Cowboys would get some cap relief as a post-June 1 release, but will they release him at all?

Starting with the long shots of places for Romo to land, these guys at least have a chance. About as much as the Patriots did of winning the game last Sunday entering the fourth quarter.

Buffalo: Can’t see it, though the Bills are likely to let Tyrod Taylor walk. But Buffalo isn’t interested in an older quarterback. And then there’s that lake effect snow thing. 10% chance.

Cleveland: Are you kidding? It’s the Browns. Romo would be a caretaker until a new young signal-caller came in. For the Browns. Uh huh. That’s happening. 1% chance.

Kansas City: Their cap situation is not the best. Anyone have a shoe horn to fit Romo in? Cause we might need it. Here’s another spot that can contend though. Romo would be an upgrade on Alex Smith. 2% chance.

New York Jets: The Jets are already an older roster, so do they want to add a 37-year-old quarterback? Well, he would fit right in then. Tony looks bad in green though. 2% chance.

San Francisco: They were 2-14 last year. You think Romo wants to be part of that? Plus, the brain surgeon behind Atlanta’s play-calling on Sunday is now the head coach. Sign me up. 5% chance.

Better Chances 

Chicago: Jay Cutler is probably going to be, well, cut. That opens up cap space and the need for a new QB. They also need a lot more to be a contender, which Romo would be looking for. John Fox is a solid coach though. 20% chance.

Denver: Trevor Simian and Paxton Lynch are sitting there, but John Elway has done this before with Mr. Manning. Romo is an expensive short-term fix, but they have the defense to win it all again. Could DeMarcus Ware and Romo simply switch teams? 35% chance.

Houston: They have $16 million tied up in Brock Osweiler for 2017. But Houston is also in a position to contend. And it’s close to home. 35% chance.

Then there’s Dallas. Is there a scenario in which Romo could stay? Well, yes. Jerry Jones could re-structure his contract, giving Dallas cap relief and the opportunity to keep Romo with a legitimate chance to contend. But as a backup. And it’s hard to get injured on the sideline. Don’t count this one out. In fact…

Stranger things have happened. Ask the Atlanta Falcons. They’ll tell you about long odds and how sports is stranger than fiction.

And why, at the end of the day, Mr. Romo might just remain a Dallas Cowboy.

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Rob Scichili (shick-lee) has worked in professional sports for over 31 years in PR and communications, including time with the Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, MLB.com, Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks. A journalism graduate of Texas A&M, he is co-owner and editor at ScoreboardTx and VP at Tony Fay Public Relations. Scichili is a consultant to New York Islanders ownership and was recently named to the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame Selection Committee.