Trading Tony Romo to Houston: Easier than most think
A NFL Insider believes the best landing spot for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is with the Houston Texans. And that a trade might be easier than you think.
Four days before the official start of NFL free agency, and “Romo Watch” is in full swing. The Dallas Cowboys are expected to make a move involving their soon-to-be 37-year old veteran quarterback, Tony Romo, at some point this offseason.
As the Cowboys have vowed to “do-right” by Romo, you’d have to think any possible trade or his release would happen prior to the start of free agency on Thursday, thus giving both the team and the player as many options as possible.
That’s not to say the Cowboys have to do anything before the market opens. But it simply makes sense as other NFL teams begin to fill their rosters with free agents, there will be less and less opportunities for Romo to find a new home.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones made it clear over the weekend, there have been no discussions with other teams about a possible trade for Romo as of yet. And those rumors of a possible three-way trade being in the works that would send Tony to the Washington Redskins were pure fiction.
Still, the list of potential suitors for Romo’s services next season seems to be growing everyday. But to many, the most obvious landing spot for the talented quarterback is still with the Houston Texans. And according to one NFL Insider, that trade would be fairly easy for the Texans to make.
"“Trading for [Tony Romo] would be easier than most think,” wrote Albert Breer on MMQB.com Monday. “Romo is due $14 million for 2017—a below average rate for a starting quarterback—and his base salaries of $19.5 million and $20.5 million would in essence serve as team options for 2018 and ’19, with no guaranteed money left in Romo’s deal. The Texans do, at least as of right now, have sufficient cap space to take on the existing contract. The question is whether they’ll want to, which would probably be a tougher call for them than parting with a middling draft pick.”"
Breer would go on to say that the Texans would likely have to pass on re-signing some of their own free agents, including talented cornerback A.J. Bouye, in order to obtain Romo. And he ultimately thinks quarterback Tom Savage will be Houston’s starter when the season begins.
With two young children and a third on the way, plus a brand new home in Dallas, Romo would likely prefer to stay in Texas. But to Breer’s point, Houston would have to be willing to sacrifice some of their own talent in order to make the trade happen. For a Texans’ team who seem to be one franchise quarterback away from a deep playoff run, the move seems like a no-brainer.
Next: Ranking Tony Romo’s Top 5 Dallas Cowboys Games
It now appears Houston is on the clock…as Romo Watch 2017 rolls on.