ESPN's Ed Werder seems to be one of the most plugged in reporters throughout the Tony Romo saga, and he dropped a bit more news on where exactly everything lies as of now, as he pointed toward the Houston Texans, not Denver Broncos as a preferred landing spot.
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Werder was one of the first reporters to detail that Romo is expecting his release, not a trade.
Pro Football Talk has even suggested that Romo and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could make a "wink-nod arrangement", where Romo would avoid signing with teams that would be in-rival to the Cowboys. While such an agreement would be a no-no under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Jones has already admitted that seeing Romo on an NFC team would bother him.
If Romo is not released, he will be due $14 million — and set for a $24 million cap hit — for the 2017 season under his current contract. It seems certain that the Cowboys will move on from the oft-injured quarterback at this point — whether that be a trade or release — as Dak Prescott proved himself to be a worthy successor with his performance in the 2016 season.
ESPN has previously predicted the Texans as a logical landing spot for Romo.
Four teams reportedly interested
That follows reports that four teams have reportedly emerged as frontrunners for the quarterback's services, per CBS Sports.
"The Cowboys will listen to offers for Tony Romo, sources said, once owner Jerry Jones has his meeting with the Pro Bowl quarterback. Romo prefers to be moved to a contending team — specifically, the Texans, Cardinals, Broncos or Chiefs. The Bills also have significant interest in Romo, team and league sources said, though they realize that it might be a tough sell."
Despite his injury history, CBS's Jason La Canfora pushes directly against reports that Romo's value won't bring anything substantial back to the Cowboys. Instead, he reports that "some" general managers believe the Cowboys can get a second-round pick along with possibly another high draft pick.
Reports from the Broncos camp have noted Denver would only be interested in Romo if he were a free agent, as they've got 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch and former starter Trevor Siemian still on the roster.
If Carson Palmer walks, the Cardinals may get desperate to keep their squad in contention. Kansas City has developed into a playoff contender year-in and year-out, but there's no indication that Romo would put the Chiefs over the top.
Houston Texans say no to early reports on Romo
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair previously told the Houston Chronicle that the team needs "better performance out of the (quarterback) position." He noted that Osweiler, his $72 million bust, will compete with Tom Savage for the starting job, and the Texans will look to bring in a young quarterback in the draft.
No mention of Romo, which is interesting since Houston was one of the teams mentioned as a possible landing spot. Romo seems to have eyes for Denver Broncos anyway.
Moving on from Osweiler makes perfect sense — even if it will be expensive. He was one of the leagues worst quarterbacks last season, and his 72.2 QBR was second worst in the league, ahead of only Ryan Fitzpatrick. Osweiler was benched last season in favor of Savage, who makes, literally, one percent of his salary (Savage makes $300K).
Still, because of the way Houston structured Osweiler's contract, the team can cut him after the 2017 season and take a $6 million hit in 2018 and $3 million in 2019, based on numbers by overthecap.com.)
