Tony Romo left professional football in April and is now a member of the NFL broadcast team for CBS Sports. And while the 37-year-old quarterback would still be one of the league's best quarterbacks, the Cowboys have Dak Prescott, who led the team to a division title and the playoffs last season and is new face of the franchise.
Worth mentioning: Romo hasn't officially retired, and seemed hesitant to use the R-word shortly after announcing he was headed to CBS Sports. That said, Romo left little room for interpretation when it came to his career plans.
"I literally had the opportunity to continue to keep playing football. I'm choosing not to. I think that's a pretty easy statement when it comes to what I'm doing," Romo told CBS Sports Radio affiliate 105.3 the Fan last month. "I know the 'retired' word is like this word that all of a sudden has 90 different meanings, but it just feels like you're done playing football. You want to call it retired, you want to call it whatever you want, I'm moving on to talking about it. I just don't envision that ever changing."
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are all in on Prescott, the 2016 fourth-round pick who emerged as one of the league's best quarterbacks during his rookie season. Still, the team will honor Romo indirectly. Details via ESPN.com's Todd Archer:
Nobody is wearing No. 9 on the current roster and unless they had a quarterback with an affinity for the number, it could be a while before they choose to give out the number. Nobody wears No. 12 because of Roger Staubach. Nobody wears No. 8 because of Troy Aikman. Inside The Star, the Cowboys have yet to move a player into Romo's old locker, either.
Archer adds that this could change; coach Jason Garrett could decide to put team leaders in different corners of the locker room but as it stands, Romo's spot remains unoccupied.
Who knows if Romo will ever want to return to the field, but for now he's fully committed to his new line of work.
"When you think about the NFL, two of the most iconic brands are the Dallas Cowboys and CBS Sports," Romo said shortly after he announced he was joining CBS Sports. "Going from one legendary team to another as I begin the next phase of my career is a dream come true. I have always known that once my playing career was over I wanted to become a broadcaster. I am ecstatic for the opportunity to work with Jim as I learn the craft and convey to fans my passion for this great game."
