Is Tony Romo Really Retiring? Cowboys' QB Could Still Be Option For Broncos, Texans

Much of the speculation regarding where Tony Romo would land ended Tuesday when it was reported that the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback would be calling it quits. According to Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, Romo will replace Phil Simms as CBS’ No.1 color analyst, ending his career in the NFL.

But is Romo really retiring? Not everyone is convinced that the quarterback won’t be back on the field for the 2017 season.

On one hand, it makes sense for Romo to step away from the NFL. He’s battled through injuries for much of his career, and the last two seasons have been especially bad. Romo played just five games during that time, suffering two broken collarbones and a fractured vertebra in his lower brack.

Considering his injury history and his age (he’ll be 37 before the 2017 NFL Draft), Romo wasn’t likely to get a significant amount of guaranteed money for next year. He probably would’ve had to sign an incentive-laden contract, one that would be contingent upon him staying on the field.

Still, Romo was receiving interest from around the league. The Denver Broncos and Houston Texans were reportedly unwilling to trade for the quarterback, but they had designs of potentially signing him in free agency.

Denver had one of the NFL’s best defenses last year, but Trevor Siemian’s struggles prevented them from making the playoffs. Brock Osweiler was so bad for Houston that they traded him to the Cleveland Browns this offseason for less than nothing, and their current starter is Tom Savage, who has just two starts in three NFL seasons.

Romo's decision could be considered premature, considering at 37 years old he can start on a number of teams in 2017. He looked sharp in his one game in 2016 after losing his starting job to up-and-coming rookie Dak Prescott. Romo led the league with a 113.2 passer rating in his last full season.

Recent NFL history is filled with quarterbacks that have had tremendous success in their late 30s. Tom Brady is the NFL’s best quarterback at 39 years old, and Peyton Manning played in two Super Bowls in his late 30s after undergoing serious neck surgery.

Then, of course, there’s Brett Favre, who returned to the NFL shortly following his retirement at 38 years old. As a 40-year-old, Favre led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game and posted the best passer rating of his career.

This might be truly it for the NFL career of Tony Romo, but there are certainly reasons to be skeptical.