The Landry Hat
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Tony Romo: NFL teams are not taking the bait

By Carl Daley

August 23, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) passes the football before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
August 23, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) passes the football before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here’s why I find the fact the Dallas Cowboys are struggling to find a trade market for veteran quarterback Tony Romo unsurprising.

The current drama surrounding Dallas Cowboys veteran quarterback Tony Romo is not shocking to me. Especially when it comes to free agency. Dallas could release Romo outright and allow him to pick his next destination. Unfortunately for 36-year old quarterback, they never said exactly when that would happen.

This is the Cowboys own fault for saying that they would approach the Romo situation with “kid gloves” and they’d abide by the “do-right rule” when it comes to him. Both of which is just a nice way of saying: “Hey, we won’t trade you to Cleveland”.

NFL teams are calling Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ bluff. And the entire situation is pretty confusing.

Romo has stated that he would re-structure his contract in the event that a team wanted to make a deal. So, getting a trade done is clearly not a money issue. Instead, it could be a pride issue. The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos simply need to get over the fact that they must give up a draft pick in order to obtain the Cowboys former starter.

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If the Texans are truly “one quarterback away from the Super Bowl”, Romo is clearly that guy. Houston has already traded away last year’s free agency mistake in quarterback Brock Osweiler and are now playing chicken with their fellow Texas team.

Now, the Texans are seemingly talking up the fact that they could select a quarterback for the future in the NFL Draft. The problem with that line of thinking is that it does nothing to mask the fact that they will still have issues under center as long as they don’t sign the Cowboys former signal caller.

Is Romo an injury risk? Certainly. But so is every other quarterback in the NFL (especially behind a terrible offensive line).

That is why it was so weird to me that Romo wants to be traded in the first place. His risk of injury only increases as soon as he leaves for whatever starting role he could land outside of Dallas. Romo could make $20 million as a backup quarterback. And at his age, in this business, that is a pretty sweet deal.

In fact, keeping Romo on the roster would be more advantageous for him than it is for the Cowboys. I mean, a couple of weeks ago we assumed Romo and running back Adrian Peterson would be snatched up in a matter of seconds once free agency began. Now, it’s clear NFL teams are not taking the bait.

For Peterson, as younger running backs are cheaper and run deep in the upcoming draft, that is understandable. But for Romo, an experienced franchise quarterback, that is just plain stupid. If the Texans want to waste another season with mediocre players under center, that is their right. However, it should upset every player on their roster and every fan in their seats.

Next: Ranking Tony Romo’s Top 5 Dallas Cowboys Games

Houston trading a mere third round selection for Tony Romo could easily help the Texans advance deep into the playoffs this upcoming season. And when you consider the minuscule chances of a rookie who is selected in the third round having the same impact as a player like Romo on the roster this year, that seems like a pretty sweet deal to me.

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