Tony Romo situation: Cruel reality of the NFL

As rumors swirl about Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and his future in the NFL, his situation is a reminder of the cruel business side of the league.

If asked about quarterback Tony Romo‘s future a year ago, most Dallas Cowboys fans would have told you they expect the veteran signal caller to play for another 3-5 years without hesitation. Now, fans are bracing for the cold hard facts that Romo is likely going to be in another uniform in a few short weeks.

When Dallas struck gold with new quarterback Dak Prescott the questions immediately began to arise: What will the Cowboys do with Romo? It’s very surreal to think about the franchise record holder for most passing categories being released less than a year after his latest injury.

How did they get to this point?

The NFL is a cruel beast. It will provide players with the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. The salary cap also doesn’t coincide with human feelings and emotion. If a player can’t stay healthy and is getting paid a lot of money, the majority of the time they are released unceremoniously.

In my opinion, Romo deserved better than this. There were so many seasons that he was the sole reason the team was able to stay competitive. Yet, he didn’t get the pieces around him to compete for a championship until late in his career. By that time his body had already begun to betray him.

Following the 2007 season after the Cowboys had lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, most people thought they were due for multiple Super Bowl runs. That wasn’t meant to be as America’s Team only went to the playoffs two more times following that season, and Romo only won two playoff games.

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What caused that? It was a mixture of bad front office decisions, injuries, and bad luck, in my opinion. No matter the cause, it’s not fair or equal for all teams and players. Some of the all-time best players in NFL history never even sniffed a Super Bowl appearance.

As Romo’s tenure with Dallas is likely coming to an end, he will go down as arguably the most underappreciated player in franchise history. Not only was he one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in Dallas, he was one of the longest faces of the franchise.

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Whatever is next for Romo, he can hold his head high that he gave Dallas a remarkable run. His journey took him from an undrafted long-shot, to a surefire Ring of Honor member once his playing days are done.

Thank you, Tony.