We all knew it was coming. The number is enormous and the hit the Cowboys will take is going to be felt for a while.
Who cares about the cap hit and the overall dollar amount? This is about the six years Tony Romo will continue to play in Arlington, much to the chagrin of many Dallas faithful.
Romo’s playoff and big game failures have been well-chronicled now. There is no need to bash him anymore here for what has already been done, including six losses in seven postseason or must-win games.
He’s been given ample opportunity to turn his nation-wide perception around countless times with little success and now Dallas will be saddled with him for good or bad for more than half of a decade.
Is Romo the most blessed quarterback in the league? Absolutely not. When your general manager signs ridiculous contracts on a yearly basis, you will feel the effects of them. For example, Doug Free will be the third highest paid Cowboy this coming season. Let that sink in for a moment.
The defense has been inconsistent, and with the exception of 2009, played its worst when it was needed the most. How can any quarterback hold down the fort when he fears having to throw for five touchdowns every game?
Romo has had a history of forcing plays, and trying to create something where there is nothing.
Relying on old emotional phrases like, “he doesn’t have a winners mentality,” or, “The playoff stage is too bright for Tony,” are unfounded and just a way for those who don’t play sports to justify how a man can fade at the worst times. Romo just doesn’t know how to finish seasons off the right way.
An excuse that’s been thrown around plenty from media is that Romo was the only option for the Cowboys because free agency and the upcoming draft are short on talent. While the latter portions of that are true, Dallas needs one terrible year and a bit of luck to land Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel or Alabama’s AJ McCarron.
Instead, the Cowboys have declared their loyalty to Romo for years to come and will be feeding the 32-year old more than the likes of Super Bowl champions Joe Flacco, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.
Contracts are obviously more absurd now than they have ever been, and quarterbacks are quickly becoming one of the wealthiest positions in all of American sports. With this in mind, general managers need to be that much more intelligent with who they’re choosing to be the face of their franchise.
One small slip up with either a player or his dollar amount could sink a team for years. Just ask the Buffalo Bills how that contract with Ryan Fitzpatrick worked out.
Hopefully Romo proves he’s worth the time and will finally feel comfortable in his skin, especially when the season and a franchise’s future hang so very narrowly on a cliff.
