With so much talk about what the Cowboys will do at the quarterback position for the rest of the current season, little time has been spent talking about what will happen at the quarterback position after the season.
It’s been presumed that the Cowboys will make Dak Prescott the starter for 2017 and beyond, and that the Cowboys will trade Tony Romo. But Romo may not want to be traded.
As one source with knowledge of the situation recently explained it, Romo may be inclined to request a release in lieu of a trade. This would maximize his options and, in turn, ensure that his new team won’t be diluting its roster by giving up draft picks and/or players.
It was reported several weeks ago that Romo is eyeing the Broncos. He’s also keeping tabs on several other teams, potentially including the Cardinals and Dolphins.
Why the Dolphins? If Ryan Tannehill eventually needs full-blown ACL reconstruction, there’s a chance they’ll need a Sam Bradford-style replacement for 2017. Romo could be that guy.
The more immediate question is whether at any point between now and the end of the 2016 Romo will be that guy for the Cowboys. Once the season ends, though, a different dance will happen between Romo and the team. With a far lesser degree of ugliness and hard feelings between Romo and owner/G.M. Jerry Jones than existed eight years ago between Brett Favre and Packers G.M. Ted Thompson, the Cowboys may be willing to give Romo a parting gift consisting of the ability to pick his next team unfettered by a trade.
The biggest risk for the Cowboys is that Romo will land in Washington. Again, given the existence of a positive relationship between Romo and Jones, Romo will be far less motivated than Favre was to stick it to the team that no longer wanted him to be its starter.