The New England Patriots were not one of the teams interested in Tony Romo’s services. But the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s reported decision to leave the NFL for a job in broadcasting will have an impact on the defending Super Bowl champs.
How, you might ask? Allow us to explain.
Two of Romo’s rumored suitors were the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, both of whom possess imposing defenses but young, unproven quarterbacks. With Tom Savage and Trevor Siemian/Paxton Lynch under center, the Texans and Broncos don’t look like anything more than fringe playoff teams in the AFC, which the Patriots currently rule with an iron fist.
Savage has started just two games in his NFL career — doing so after taking over for the monumentally disappointing Brock Osweiler in late December — and the Siemian-led Broncos missed the playoffs one year after winning Super Bowl 50.
But adding Romo to either of those teams — even a soon-to-be 37-year-old Romo who hasn’t started a game since November 2015 — would immediately morph it into a contender.
The number of legitimately good quarterback in the NFL is startlingly low, and Romo’s reported departure (retirement?) takes one more name out of that pool. Just look at the current starting quarterbacks in the AFC:
AFC East: Tom Brady, Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Tannehill, Josh McCown/Bryce Petty/Christian Hackenberg
AFC North: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Cody Kessler
AFC South: Savage, Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariota, Blake Bortles
AFC West: Siemian/Lynch, Philip Rivers, Derek Carr, Alex Smith
How many of those QBs would you be confident having as the centerpiece of your team? Less than half?
Adding Romo could have improved any number of those squads. Now, that option seemingly is off the table, at least for the time being, making it all the more difficult for any conference contender to dethrone the mighty Patriots.
One last note: It’s unlikely Romo’s decision will change the Patriots’ stance on backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. If New England was unwilling to trade Garoppolo to the lowly Cleveland Browns, who boast a bevy of high draft picks, it’s hard to imagine them dealing him to a contender like the Broncos or Texans under any circumstances.
Thumbnail photo via Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images
