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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Where does Tony Romo land if he loses No. 1 CBS job?
Credit: Matt Dayhoff / USA Today Network via Imagn Images
Speculation about Tony Romo’s future as the top NFL game analyst at CBS has run rampant since the network released a surprise statement last Friday announcing the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback is sidelined indefinitely following an OWI arrest in Wisconsin.
Awful Announcing subsequently confirmed that the network’s No. 2 analyst, J.J. Watt, is scheduled to replace Romo during his absence.
The move, and particularly the speed with which Watt was confirmed as Romo’s replacement, signaled to many media observers that Romo’s suspension was about more than his arrest. Rather, CBS could see this as an opportunity to elevate Watt , an analyst many believe has surpassed Romo in quality, without demoting Romo on performance grounds.
As many have also pointed out, CBS is paying Romo $18 million annually under a 10-year deal signed in 2020 that completely reset the market for top NFL game analysts. The OWI could conceivably give CBS the ability to fire Romo for cause , which would take $72 million in salary obligations off its books between now and 2030.
So let’s take some of the speculation at face value. Let’s say Watt excels in the top CBS booth alongside Jim Nantz, and the network wants to keep that pairing intact. Where does that leave Romo, both in terms of internal possibilities at CBS and external possibilities if the network parts ways with him?
Here are five potential landing spots for Romo, in no particular order.
Netflix
In a scenario where Watt replaces Romo on a full-time basis at CBS, it’s difficult to imagine Romo would settle for anything less than another top analyst job if he were to continue calling NFL games from the booth. That’s why you won’t find any potential jobs in a No. 2 or No. 3 booth on this list. We don’t think Romo would accept one of those jobs.
That limits the possibilities considerably. There are only a few lead analyst jobs in the NFL, and most of them are already locked in for the foreseeable future. Tom Brady has eight more years left on his Fox deal. Cris Collinsworth has a deal with NBC through the 2029-30 season. Troy Aikman’s deal with ESPN expires following this year’s Super Bowl, but it’s unlikely the network would want to move on from one of the most well-regarded NFL analysts currently calling games. Short of Aikman wanting to leave broadcasting altogether, perhaps for a front office job, he’s not going anywhere.
That leaves Prime Video, which we’ll get to in a moment, and Netflix.
During the offseason, Netflix announced a deal with the NFL that will see the streamer air at least four games each season through 2029-30 : Week 1, Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Day, and Week 18. So far, Netflix has been forced to poach talent from other networks to call its NFL games, but networks have become increasingly reluctant to allow a competitor to use their broadcasters.
On Monday, the streamer announced former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly would serve as the booth analyst for Netflix’s Week 1 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne. Kuechly has a bit of television broadcasting experience, mostly in college football and various NFL altcasts, but never in front of a national NFL audience. While Kuechly is a fine pick, he’s far from a Romo-esque figure. And if Netflix wants each of its NFL games to feel like an “event,” then having someone of Romo’s caliber and fame in the booth would immediately raise the quality of its telecasts.
If Romo becomes available, he would quickly rise to the top of Netflix’s wishlist and instantly lend the streamer’s broadcasts credibility. Romo has called Super Bowls and has been a fixture of top NFL games for years. Even if his quality has slipped lately, he’s still superior to many of the analysts currently filling second- and third-team roles at other networks.
Romo’s style might make him better suited for a limited package like Netflix’s four-game slate anyway. Critics of Romo have tired of his excitable noises and general lack of preparedness. But in smaller doses, Romo’s quirky style could become endearing again. And only having to prepare for four games per year might raise the quality of his calls by lowering his workload.
For those reasons, Romo would be a very sensible fit for Netflix should his gig at CBS end prematurely.
Prime Video/ Thursday Night Football
Another potential top job for Romo would be the Prime Video Thursday Night Football booth. It is widely expected that the current team of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will call its last season together this year. Michaels, 81, is on a year-to-year deal, while Herbstreit’s contract expires following this season.
Looking around, there is plenty of potential talent that could hop into the TNF booth and offer an upgrade. Greg Olsen is still stuck as Fox’s No. 2 analyst after being replaced by Tom Brady, but he is a proven commodity with Super Bowl broadcasting experience, and many think he is superior to Brady. He has long been tied to Herbstreit’s job once his contract expires. Before being moved to the top CBS booth, Watt was also considered a strong possibility for the job. But if Watt stays with CBS, Romo could easily become a top candidate for the gig himself.
At one point, moving from the lead Sunday-afternoon booth at CBS to the TNF booth would’ve been seen as a demotion. Nowadays, the jobs are arguably on equal footing. If Romo wanted to continue calling a full package of NFL games, this would be the way to do it.
But Romo may have some stiff competition for this job even beyond Olsen. Someone like Travis Kelce, who is likely entering his final season as a player, could pique the interest of Prime Video if he wanted to jump directly from the field into the broadcast booth.
CBS studio
Perhaps Romo could take the Phil Simms route and transition directly from the top CBS booth to the network’s studio show. If CBS wasn’t...
Tony RomoCBSSpeculationTony Romo’sNFLDallas CowboysOWIWisconsinAwful AnnouncingJ.JWattCredit
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