On Wednesday, the Cowboys told quarterback Tony Romo he’d be released. On Thursday, the Cowboys didn’t release him.
Since then, the Cowboys have been waiting for a trade offer, and Romo hasn’t said or done anything publicly to agitate for a release. But his representatives apparently have launched a more subtle effort to remind the Cowboys that it will be hard to trade him if he just retires.
Coincidentally (not coincidentally), someone from CAA told Adam Schefter of ESPN that FOX wants to hire Romo as the No. 2 analyst on the network’s football coverage, replacing 49ers G.M. John Lynch. The message to the Cowboys is clear, but Romo can maintain full and complete deniability and otherwise stay on the high road.
Romo isn’t wired to get into a public back and forth with the Cowboys or Jerry Jones, and for now it seems that Romo will choose to be patient. His agents will otherwise come up with strategies for making sure everyone knows Romo has a Plan B to playing in 2017.
Of course, if Romo retires, he’ll owe $5 million in previously paid signing bonus money. But that’s only an issue if he actually retires. For now, the possibility of retirement is being used to ensure that he’ll eventually get to pick his next team, unfettered by the Cowboys or anyone else.
