Is former Cowboys QB Tony Romo’s broadcasting gig with CBS in jeopardy?

It was initially difficult for Dallas Cowboys fans to watch Dak Prescott take the starting quarterback job from a then-injured Tony Romo during the 2016 season. Prescott ultimately led the Cowboys to the Divisional Round, where they lost a hard-fought game to the Packers, while Romo announced his retirement that April.

In an awesome development for Cowboys fans, Romo landed on his feet in the broadcasting world. He debuted with CBS, and his penchant for predicting plays before they happened by dissecting defensive and offensive schemes out of the huddle made him a national sensation within months on the job.

Before you could even blink, Romo inked a 10-year, $180 million contract with CBS to call games alongside Jim Nantz. It was the highest contract for a color analyst in the NFL until Tom Brady signed an unprecedented 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX to become their lead commentator after his retirement.

Unfortunately for Romo, the honeymoon phase of his broadcasting career is long over. While still solid relative to most color analysts, Romo hasn’t lived up to his gargantuan contract for most of 2022, and his “slump,” for lack of a better term, has extended into the playoffs.

Amid backlash from the media and fans, high-ranking CBS executives reportedly attempted an “intervention” with Romo during the 2022 offseason to address the former Cowboys quarterback’s slippage in the booth.

Is former Cowboys QB Tony Romo’s lucrative broadcasting job with CBS in jeopardy after reported intervention?

"“Tony Romo needs to study more,” Marchand said this week on The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, via Awful Announcing. “He needs to be better prepared. As you move away from the sidelines, you need to do more work. I know CBS is aware of this. They tried an intervention last offseason. They knew, they anticipated this. That’s a credit to them, the people in charge there. But it has not gotten better.”"

These are notable remarks from Marchand, but even Cowboys fans could admit they’ve been a long-time coming for Romo, who drew the ire of fans during the AFC Championship Game after he compared Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow’s ever-evolving “rivalry” to former NBA stars Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler.

One irrational comparison isn’t enough to stage a so-called intervention, of course. Folks have been critical of Romo’s scattered sound effects during replays, and being overly dramatic in high-leverage situations. Perhaps CBS would like Romo to find a middle ground; to learn when (and when not to) improvise in the booth, and focus on the hard-hitting analysis that led to his curve-changing contract.

Is Romo still one of the best in the business? No doubt, but the gold standard fans set for him during the 2017 season hasn’t been on display for much of 2022. It doesn’t help matters he didn’t cover himself in glory in the AFC Championship Game, either. The game drew 53.12 million viewers, making it the most-viewed NFL conference championship game in four years. That’s a lot of eyes and ears.

Is Romo’s affinity for golf preventing him from putting in the work (reviewing film, etc.) to improve his craft? Is Romo committed to putting in said work? Or has he simply gotten too comfortable after his rise to broadcasting stardom in 2017?

Whatever the case may be, Romo and Nantz will be on the call for the Super Bowl matchup between the Chiefs and Eagles. That presents the perfect stage for Romo to silence his critics, or potentially continue his downward spiral.

Rising Shrine Bowl star could solve Cowboys wide receiver problem

Boston College receiver Zay Flowers is a rising star at the Shrine Bowl. Could Flowers be a potential first-round draft target for the Cowboys?