IRVING, Texas – Jerry Jones doesn't have a crystal ball, but he believes Tony Romo has a lot of good football left in his career.
"4-5 years," he said Tuesday morning on 105.3 The Fan.
"If you look at his play time, if you look at the years he's actually played, he started late. He really has excellent skills relative to where his skill set began and what his skill set is. More important than anything, from a mental standpoint and the things that also mean so much at quarterback, he's at the top of the list."
Romo will miss the remainder of the 2015 season after fracturing his left collarbone in the Cowboys' Thanksgiving loss to Carolina for the second time since Sept. 20.
He turns 36 in April, and given his recent injury history – he also had back surgery at the end of the 2013 season – the Cowboys are fielding questions this week about how long they expect their franchise quarterback to play at a high level.
Head coach Jason Garrett gave a similar answer at his Monday press conference, saying Romo "has a lot of football left in him" and the team doesn't expect the new collarbone injury to be a long-term issue for Romo at all.
Jones emphasized Tuesday that his 4-5 year timeline for Romo as a productive starter is simply his own estimation.
"You're asking me what I think," he said, "and I think we've got outstanding quarterback (play) ahead of us for the next 4-5 years. That's not a downer. Will we be looking to develop and get talent behind Romo? Absolutely."
