Where will Tony Romo play next season?
It’s been a forgone conclusion that Tony Romo will be playing a team other than the Dallas Cowboys next season. The question is how much say will Romo have in what team he will play for in the 2017-2018 season. As each day of free agency passes, it seems more likely that Romo will have full control as the Cowboys have been unable to trade Romo. It seems inevitable that Romo will be released in the next few days. If released, where will Romo play next season? Let's take a look at some of his options.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have long been connected to Romo and it seems like a great fit for both sides. The Broncos are no strangers to going out and spending money on a free agent quarterback to win a Super Bowl. General Manager John Elway went out and got Peyton Manning in 2012 which resulted in two Super Bowl appearances and one ring. Quarterback is really the one position the Broncos are missing from potentially becoming Super Bowl contenders. Trevor Siemian was the starting quarterback for most of the season last year. He started 14 games and accumulated 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for a 84.6 passer rating. Offensively, the Broncos ranked only 22nd in points per game. They finished the season 9-7, however, mainly due to their elite defense which ranked 4th in points allowed at 18.6 points per game. Input Romo in that offense and it can be above average. The Broncos have $25 million in cap space so Denver will be able to afford Romo.
Houston Texans
The Texans are another team that may be a quarterback away from able to do some serious damage. The Texans are very similar to the Broncos; both had poor offenses and elite defenses last year. Houston had the best defense in not allowing yards last year, although ranked 11th in allowing points at 20.5 points per game. However, that was without star J.J. Watt for most of the season due to injury. Offensively, Houston was even worse than Dever, ranking 29th in points per game, averaging only 17.4 points per game. Houston has good offensive weapons in Lamar Miller, DeAndre Hopkins, and Will Fuller V. The Texans thought they solved their quarterback issues by signing Brock Osweiler, but that move backfired big time. In 15 games, Osweiler threw for 2,957 yards, 15 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a 72.2 passer rating. He was so bad that Houston benched him and recently traded him to the Cleveland Browns. The Texans have even more cap space than Denver to sign Romo at a little over $30 million.
San Francisco 49ers
Reports are the 49ers are making an effort to trade for Romo and will pursue him if released. The 49ers are an interesting team. They seem to be quite a ways away from being contenders, even with Romo. On the other hand, San Francisco has the most cap space available of any team at over $90 million. The 49ers can spend as much money as needed to acquire Romo and would be able to outbid any team. Finishing the season 2-14 last year, the 49ers would no doubt improve with Romo. The problem is the team is so far away from being a complete team, it is hard to imagine Romo agreeing to sign. San Francisco ranked 27th in points per game at 19.3. The problem is that unlike the Texans and Broncos, the 49ers defense is a mess. They were by far the worst team in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball, allowing 30 points per game.
Prediction: Denver Broncos
The Broncos and Texans should be the two teams with the only real shot at signing Romo. At this point in Romo’s career, winning a Super Bowl is almost certainly his goal and those two teams offer him the best chance to do it while being the starting quarterback. The Broncos are also the more complete team. They have a slightly better defense and on offense should be better than last year, with or without Romo. Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are great, but the Broncos were without running back C.J. Anderson for most of the season due to injury. Insert Romo and a healthy Anderson and the Broncos can be a top 10 team on offense. Elway will be a large factor too. Romo knows what he did with Manning and reportedly loves Romo. Expect to see Romo is orange next season
