Broncos and Texans have reportedly drawn 'line in the sand' on a Tony Romo trade

Dallas has itself stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to dealing the backup QB

Free agency for Tony Romo rumors was like a wild rollercoaster. One minute we were sure that Romo would be released, the next minute Romo was about to be traded and now there’s this bizarre, calm limbo occurring where Romo, even with a video thanking Cowboys fans posted on Instagram, is still on the Cowboys roster. 

The problem for the Cowboys is that trading Romo appears increasingly difficult, and according to Peter King of The MMQB, it’s just not going to happen.

Writing on Monday, King says the Texans and Broncos, the only two real suitors for Romo, have drawn a “line in the sand” when it comes to making a deal for the quarterback.

I’ve talked to people in Houston and Denver, and who knows what happens if Jerry Jones holds Romo hostage for the next month or so. But as of now, there is a line in the sand in both franchises: The Broncos and Texans will not trade anything for him. It’s still more likely that needy Houston makes a move on Romo.

Worth noting here is that earlier in the column, King has quotes from Texans GM Rick Smith relating to the trade of Brock Osweiler to the Browns, a free-agency stunner that cleared up a ton of cap room, ostensibly so the Texans could pursue Romo. 

This might not be a surprise, considering on Friday John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, as tied-in a beat guy as there is, already said Houston’s not trading for Romo. The Texans gave up a second-round pick to dump Osweiler’s salary; maybe they feel they’re invested enough in figuring out the quarterback position. 

That leaves only the Broncos to really jump in the mix (barring a darkhorse team being involved) and John Elway doesn’t appear inclined to give up anything of value for Romo, instead being perfectly willing to call the Cowboys bluff and wait until they release Romo. 

The Cowboys have plenty of time -- until after June 1 to be precise -- if they want to maximize cap savings, but they also may want to free up cap room now. And it’s pretty obvious at this point the whole “Dallas cares about Romo’s feelings” narrative is garbage. If they wanted to let Romo go as a personal favor via a personal favor from Jerry Jones, they could have done so days ago.

Romo does have options, though. It’s been reported several times, including again over the weekend, that he could have a television gig right now if he wanted. So retirement and TV is on the table.

Too many people believe Romo wants to still try to win a Super Bowl, though. It’s hard to imagine him walking away now, even if he is healthy and can get out of football without a debilitating injury, when there’s a chance on the table for him to take over the Broncos or Texans job once he’s released by the Cowboys. Either of those teams afford him an opportunity at a Super Bowl run in 2017 because of the talent elsewhere on the roster. 

Long story short is the drama’s far from over in Dallas, but expecting any sort of Romo trade at this point feels unlikely to happen.