Behind The Scoreboard

What will the Dallas Cowboys do with Tony Romo? And where will the 36-year-old finish out the remaining years of his career?

This is going to be one of the biggest storylines of the NFL’s off-season revolving around Romo and the Cowboys.

Romo will either be traded or released at some particular point. Dak Prescott has turned in a rookie season that will be long remembered and Romo is still considered one of the top passers in the game. So, it just does not make much sense to have both men on the same roster, or does it?

There could be some potential drawbacks to keeping both on the roster. Dak and Tony feel that they should be the one out on the field playing and both have teammates that would support their beliefs. And from the offensive coaching staff, they have chosen Prescott.

Also, having two starters would ignite some fuel for the media to generate controversy. Let’s say for instance, that Dak turns in a couple of bad games and no doubt there would be immediate calls for Romo’s return.

Beyond those issues, there is really no reason that the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t have both players on the roster. This was the original plan when Prescott was selected a season ago. Romo may be expensive, but Dak is a bargain – thanks to his draft position.

And when or if Romo ultimately becomes available, he will be the best quarterback to hit the free agent market since Peyton Manning in 2012.

So, where will Romo play this next season? Here are a few teams to mention – Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. Other long shots are the Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The price to land Romo is what has not been determined yet. Will it be a mid-round pick? Possibly. Will it be a pass rusher? Maybe. Likely, Romo will be released by Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. And that within itself presents a world of options for not just Romo, but for a number of teams around the NFL.

And speaking of Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner has not considered the possibility of Romo playing for another NFC team mainly because he doesn’t want to think about it. It’s been reported that “Jones knows the odds are against it, but he still hopes he can persuade Romo to back up Prescott.”