Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has been universally hailed as one of the brightest stars in sports broadcasting.
Romo already is the top color commentator in the NFL. And now, he reportedly wants a new contract that would reflect that in order to stay at CBS.
The Sporting News reports thatRomo is seeking a new contract that will pay him $10 million a year.
That’s right. $10 million. Or more than what he was being paid when he left the Cowboys in 2016.
Romo’s demands would make him the highest-paid analyst in sports history.
Move over John Madden: Tony Romo wants record $10 million a year to sign contract extension with @CBSsports for 2020 and beyond. Could Romo walk away from sports TV world he conquered in just two years? https://t.co/jhTufsfF1o pic.twitter.com/NoPGwjauxD
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) March 26, 2019
Romo’s representatives reportedly are seeking a new “eight-figure” contract to re-up with CBS.
John Madden previously was the highest-paid commentator in history at about $8 million a year before his retirement. Troy Aikman pockets about $7.5 million for Fox and John Gruden earned about $6.5 million a year doing Monday Night Football on ESPN before quitting to become the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
Romo, 38, signed a three-year deal with CBS before the 2017 NFL season that pays him about $4 million a year. But after his incredible early success, along with his uncanny ability to predict plays before they happen, it’s understandable why he’s seeking such a mammoth deal.
His timing is impeccable. After Jason Witten’s disappointing performance on Monday Night Football and his return to his playing career with the Cowboys, Monday Night Football on ESPN has a huge hole. Sporting News also throws out potential suitors like Amazon, which would receive a huge benefit if Romo would join its fledgling hursday Night Football streaming broadcast.
And then, there’s a return to the playing field — like Witten — or even a start in coaching. And how much gravitas would Romo’s defection to the upstart XFL provide to Vince McMahon’s potential league to boost interest in its beginning?
Still, it’s hard to believe Romo would ever leave CBS. He’s a close friend of broadcasting partner Jim Nantz.
And it’s even harder to fathom that CBS wouldn’t back up the Brink’s truck to do what it could to pay Romo to keep him in the network’s fold for the foreseeable future.
