If the web stats for Mile High Sports are any indicator, the No. 1 NFL story of this offseason will be where Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo lands. Romo stories have routinely sat atop our daily story rankings as report after report surfaces about Romo’s next possible whereabouts. It’s such a hot topic that oddsmakers are getting in on the action.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, was on Dallas sports radio station 105.3 The Fan recently to say that reporters who are trying to pinpoint where Romo will end up in 2017 are doing nothing more than speculating at this point.
“Don’t think for one minute,” Jones said, “that if you see something written or something said about what and where Romo is going to be, relative to our team, that there’s any credibility to it.
“There are several cards to be played,” Jones said about the future of his franchise QB who has been relegated to a backup role after another injury and the rise of rookie Dak Prescott in his place.
As Romo’s future in Dallas remains uncertain, oddsmakers are setting lines on the action. BetOnline currently ranks the Broncos as the top choice to land the veteran, at +250 as of Jan. 17.
Top Bet says the Chicago Bears are the favorite to land the veteran QB. The guys at 120 Sports ran down the odds from Top Bet, which puts Chicago at a +200, with the Broncos coming in fifth at +600.
The Bears, Jets (+300), Cardinals (+350) and Cowboys (+500) all have better odds than Denver according to Top Bet, but Tyler Jacobs of 120 Sports thinks Denver’s chances might be slightly better.
“I don’t like the Bears. I don’t like the Cardinals. I don’t like the Cowboys,” Jacobs said. “You have a starting quarterback of the future in Dak Prescott. But I have a hard time thinking Jerry Jones is going to trade Tony Romo within the NFC and have Romo potentially be the part of a team that knocks him out of the postseason.
“I look at the Broncos, the Jets. The Chiefs? [That] may be legitimate, I’m not sure. But what about the Houston Texans?”
Minus Kansas City, who just won the AFC West with Alex Smith (who is locked up through 2018), each of those teams Jacobs mentioned has questions at quarterback. The Jets need to replace the turnover machine Ryan Fitzpatrick now that Geno Smith has also proved he can’t be a full-time NFL starter. Houston signed Brock Osweiler last year to a mega contract, but the former Bronco struggled to the point that he was benched in favor of veteran Tom Savage down the stretch. He only reclaimed a starting role for the playoffs because of an injury.
Denver, meanwhile, stumbled to a 9-7 record behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, both who made their first NFL starts in 2016. Denver again proved that it had one of the league’s top defenses, but missed the playoffs for the first time in six years due in large part to struggles on offense. Denver tied with five other teams for 20th in the league with an average of just 2.2 offensive touchdowns per game.
An Adam Schefter report last week suggested that the Broncos might not be interested in a trade for Romo, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t pursue him if the Cowboys decide to release him. It would be a gamble, as Romo might warrant more than the $14.5-million base salary that is owed on his contract in 2017, but they would not be burdened with his $19.5- and $20.5-million bases owed in 2018 and ’19.
