FRISCO – Tony Romo's 14-year tenure with the Cowboys could be coming to an end as early as Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
Although no official confirmation has been made by the Cowboys or Romo, multiple reports say the 36-year-old quarterback is set to walk away from football with broadcasting opportunities on the horizon.
Retirement, or a release leading to retirement, would end a storybook career with the Cowboys that began as an undrafted free agent and evolved into 10 straight seasons as the starting quarterback for America's Team.
Romo is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yardage over 133 career starts, including six playoff games. He has made four Pro Bowls and led the Cowboys to the postseason four times, earning a pair of playoff victories in 2009 and 2014.
With mounting injuries and rookie Dak Prescott's rise, Romo's football future has been arguably the biggest topic of the NFL offseason.
He appeared in only five games over the last two seasons, including four in 2015 due to two separate collarbone injuries. He fractured his back in the Cowboys' third preseason game last August and Prescott, a fourth-round pick a year ago, took the starting job permanently, leading Dallas to 13 wins and a playoff berth.
Signed through 2019, Romo carries a $24.7 million salary cap figure for 2017 as the highest-paid backup quarterback in the league. Speculation has swirled this offseason that the Cowboys could attempt to trade Romo or release him. A post-June 1 release would spread out the salary cap hit over two years; retirement without a release would allow the Cowboys to keep his rights.
Speaking at the NFL Annual Meeting last week in Phoenix, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said Romo's status with the team was unchanged and declined to discuss potential options for a resolution.
"I don't want to get into that," Jones said. "There is a kind of a menu of several alternatives that Tony has. In that sense, he has, as much as we look at this as an important time for Tony, he's got some great options."
