worth as this contract situation drags on. Right now, his stock is high and continuing to soar. But at any rate, if he leads the Cowboys back to the playoffs again, and maybe grabs another Pro Bowl berth along the way, he's looking at a bigger deal than Houston gave to Matt Schaub, who signed a six-year, $48 million deal with the Texans. He's looking at a bigger deal than Marc Bulger's $69 million deal over seven years. The Cowboys also would have the option of placing the franchise tag on him.
While the Cowboys began these contract talks in the range of about $9 million a season, that might not be enough for Romo. Not right now. Remember, Drew Brees is making about $10 million a season. And that guy in Indianapolis, the TV star who also plays a little quarterback, gets $14 million per season.
No, Romo isn't at that level yet. But remember, Jones was a successful businessman long before he bought the Cowboys back in 1989. He'd be the first to tell you that making investments are about projections. It's not all about what you HAVE seen, but what you will see.
And that's why it may be beneficial to start getting this deal done sooner than later.
OK, so we've covered what might occur if Romo lights up the Bears Sunday night. Let's go to the other scenario.
Say Romo bombs against the Bears. Say he spends most of the day eating that Soldier Field turf than running on it. Say Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs catch as many passes as Terrell Owens and it all leads to a disastrous performance.
Man, if that happens, there will be more ankles broken and maybe a few partial tears of plantar fascia from people jumping off Romo's bandwagon.
There will be the "I-told-you-we-should've-drafted-Brady-Quinn" debate all over again. And we'll go back to counting how many starts Romo has had under his belt. And come Sunday, it will be his 13th, which will probably be pointed out as unlucky if he indeed follows suit with this scenario.
But all of that taken into consideration, I'm still signing Romo on Monday anyway.
In fact, I'd be more inclined to do it then, then any other time this season.
Think about it, what are the Cowboys really doing by signing Romo to a long-term contract? Sure, they're betting the farm and taking a risk that he has the tools to be the guy to lead this team for many years to come.
They're saying, "Tony Romo, you're our guy." Plain and simple.
What better way to send that message than after a game in which he struggles?
And I'm not suggesting that Romo or this offense will struggle Sunday night, simply because they're facing the Bears. They're good. They're fast. They get turnovers. But it's not 1985. They give up plays. By no means do I think the Cowboys will just get stuffed.
But even if Romo falls flat Sunday night, I say sign him up. Show this guy exactly what you think of him. His confidence might be shaken, although with Romo, that might be harder to do than actually torching the Bears' defense.
Those Monday afternoons after a tough loss are always a little deflating around Valley Ranch. Why not just spice it up with a huge announcement, showing off your new quarterback of the future? Those press conferences are always positive, sending off good vibes. That might be exactly what this team needs on a Monday.
Who knows what will happen.
From the looks of things, Romo probably has a better chance of executing the first scenario than the second. In all reality, it'll probably be somewhere in between.
But that's irrelevant to me. Win or lose, lock up Tony Romo to a long-term deal.
It's time, regardless what happens at Soldier Field on Sunday night.
