Another high-profile NFL player retirement, another story about the high-profile NFL player not yet filing official retirement paperwork.
Yes, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports, Romo hasn’t filed his retirement paperwork. No, it doesn’t mean a damn thing.
“Romo has not filed retirement papers with the NFL and it is not something that is planned at the moment,” Archer writes. “That does not mean Romo will return to playing status anytime soon, but it does mean the option remains open.”
Technically, that’s accurate. The option remains open if he doesn’t file the paperwork. But here’s the thing: The option remains open even if he files the paperwork.
As we learned nine years ago during the First Annual Brett Favre Unretirement, the player who has filed retirement paperwork simply needs to send a letter to the Commissioner declaring an intent to return. Because Romo was released by the Cowboys, the process of returning from retirement would be even simpler.
Regardless, it’s meaningless that he hasn’t filed retirement paperwork, because filing the paperwork in no way closes the door on playing again. The real question is whether he’d give up one of the most coveted seats in sports broadcasting for one more chance at playing, and that’s likely a question that he’ll resolve based on whether he sufficiently enjoys his experience with CBS to justify continuing to do it for the next 20 or 30 years -- or until they kick him to the curb for the next Tony Romo.