It's long been rumored that the Dallas Cowboys will move on from Tony Romo, releasing him onto the open market. The one thing that may be holding back Romo from hitting the open market is conflicting ideas on where Romo should land.
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Sending Romo across the country to another conference takes away the likelihood of any backlash from local fans. Sending him right down the road to the Texans could take away some of the stranglehold the Cowboys have on Texas and shift it to a revitalized Houston fan base (which means money is coming out of Jerry Jones' pockets).
Both teams would immediately become Super Bowl contenders if they landed Romo, holding exceptional defenses and playmakers already in place at wide receiver.
Romo is set to make $14 million in salary for the 2017 season under his current contract, but he has a cap hold of $24 million. Romo's contract also includes salaries of $19.5 million and $20.5 million for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, per Spotrac.
Those salary numbers are a big reason why Romo will likely be cut over traded, which the Cowboys were reportedly attempting to do. It is difficult to move him at that cap hit number, and the Cowboys would likely prefer to clear his contract off the books altogether.
Teams listed as possible suitors for Romo include the Broncos, Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, per 9news' Mike Klis..
Romo and team owner Jerry Jones apparently already have a "wink-nod" agreement in place, via Star-Telegram, that would remove any possibility of sending the quarterback to play in Washington, or any other team Jones would prefer he not play:
"The idea of Romo playing in Washington is a non starter for Jones because he wouldn't trade him to a division rival, and there is an unspoken understanding that Romo wouldn't sign with the Redskins as a free agent if he was released.
There is no deal to guarantee such an action but Jones feels confident in his relationship with Romo that he would abide by the "do-right rule."
Jones detailed that another meeting with the star quarterback isn't needed to discuss Romo's future, as they outlined different scenarios before the Super Bowl that could work for both sides. That apparently may not be true based on the latest rumors.