Thoughts on a Tony Romo for JJ Watt trade?

[Todd4State]

Don't think it happens- but that would be interesting. And I hope it happens for Dak's sake.

[BeardoMSU]

Won't happen, but that's definitely in the vein of thinking the Cowboys need to go.

[HSVDawg]

Don't think it happens- but that would be interesting. And I hope it happens for Dak's sake.

No way it happens. For better or worse, Houston is gonna stick with Osweiler with all that money they are paying him. Would be the dumbest trade in history for Houston to give up a franchise defensive player in his prime for a 37-38 year old QB with massive injury problems when they already have a QB they are paying $17 million guaranteed in 2017.

[RiverCityDawg]

No way it happens. For better or worse, Houston is gonna stick with Osweiler with all that money they are paying him. Would be the dumbest trade in history for Houston to give up a franchise defensive player in his prime for a 37-38 year old QB with massive injury problems when they already have a QB they are paying $17 million guaranteed in 2017.

I don't know... Their defense was still top tier without Watt. Osweiler sucks so it would be a better business move just to cut your losses now and move on rather than anchor your franchise for the remainder of his contract. They need a QB a lot more than they need Watt. They aren't contending for a Super Bowl with Osweiler, but with Romo and that defense they would have a shot. Obviously it's risky because of Romo's health, but they are hosed anyway if they stay with Osweiler.

[missouridawg]

No way it happens. For better or worse, Houston is gonna stick with Osweiler with all that money they are paying him. Would be the dumbest trade in history for Houston to give up a franchise defensive player in his prime for a 37-38 year old QB with massive injury problems when they already have a QB they are paying $17 million guaranteed in 2017.

AGe-wise... JJ is technically in his prime. But he has been injured quite a bit these past 2-3 years himself.

[Reason2succeed]

As a Houston fan I would be totally done with the franchise if they did something that stupid. It's becoming evident that Bill O'Brien isn't the QB guru people claimed he was. He just happened to work with the GOAT in NE.

That said we are stuck with Osweiller for next year but we could cut or trade other aging players like Brian Cushing, Jonathan Joseph and make room for Romo, Cutler, or someone else floating out there. But there is no way that we part with JJ Watt right now.

[HSVDawg]

I don't know... Their defense was still top tier without Watt. Osweiler sucks so it would be a better business move just to cut your losses now and move on rather than anchor your franchise for the remainder of his contract. They need a QB a lot more than they need Watt. They aren't contending for a Super Bowl with Osweiler, but with Romo and that defense they would have a shot. Obviously it's risky because of Romo's health, but they are hosed anyway if they stay with Osweiler.

There is a very good chance that no team is going to give up anything significant for Romo simply based on age and injury history. The best case scenario for Dallas is probably a 2nd or 3rd round pick or a decent but not game changing defensive player from a Houston or a Denver. Its even been discussed that Jones might just opt to release him outright and play the free agent market as opposed to trading him.

[msstate7]

If the chiefs let Eric berry walk, I'd be all over him with the money freed up from getting rid of romo

[Bass Chaser]

Romo is guaranteed $14M for 2017. Going to be very difficult to move him.

[msstate7]

Romo is guaranteed $14M for 2017. Going to be very difficult to move him.

The Vikings should make it happen. They're an NFC contender with a healthy romo

[missouridawg]

The Vikings should make it happen. They're an NFC contender with a healthy romo

Vikings, Cardinals, Denver, and Houston are all in this same boat. Super Bowl contenders with a healthy Romo.

[msstate7]

Delete

[msstate7]

Vikings, Cardinals, Denver, and Houston are all in this same boat. Super Bowl contenders with a healthy Romo.

If I were in romo's shoes, I'd want to get to an NFC team... I'd wanna beat the cowboys. I don't think the cowboys did him wrong, but still.

[Mjoelner34]

Don't think it happens- but that would be interesting. And I hope it happens for Dak's sake.

I mentioned this back during the season. The Texans had a great defense without Watt this year but need a QB. Dallas adds a pass rusher. Both sides win. I'd offer Romo, a 2nd OL and a suitcase full of cash for JJ.

[Reason2succeed]

I mentioned this back during the season. The Texans had a great defense without Watt this year but need a QB. Dallas adds a pass rusher. Both sides win. I'd offer Romo, a 2nd OL and a suitcase full of cash for JJ.

It still wouldn't happen because if you offered all that I would say let's do but instead of Romo we want Dak.

[MafiaDawg]

The cowboys should be able to get a TON for Romo. There are plenty of teams that need a legit starting qb.

[Homedawg]

The cowboys should be able to get a TON for Romo. There are plenty of teams that need a legit starting qb.
That's just it, they can't. His contract is terrible for a team trading for him. Especially considering you know that they have to cut him anyway. They won't get any decent compensation for him at his age, injuries and salary cap structure age. And shouldn't.

[smootness]

I mentioned this back during the season. The Texans had a great defense without Watt this year but need a QB. Dallas adds a pass rusher. Both sides win. I'd offer Romo, a 2nd OL and a suitcase full of cash for JJ.

If they're trading Watt, they can get much better than Romo.

[CadaverDawg]

Dak ought to see if the Boys would pay league minimum for Derunnya, ha. They had some chemistry.

[louisvilledawg]

The Vikings should make it happen. They're an NFC contender with a healthy romo

The problem with that is that the Vikings already gave up their 2017 first round pick to the eagles for Sam Bradford. Don't think they go after him. Plus, Bradford had a hell of a season that no one talks about:

He threw for almost 4,000 yards, 20(ish) tds, and like 5 interceptions. I think he also set some record for highest completion percentage. The reason the vikings sucked were not because of him. They sucked because of their OL and they had no viable rb once AP went down.

[Maroons]

Vikings, Cardinals, Denver, and Houston are all in this same boat. Super Bowl contenders with a healthy Romo.

Carson Palmer is back for Arizona.

[CadaverDawg]

The problem with that is that the Vikings already gave up their 2017 first round pick to the eagles for Sam Bradford. Don't think they go after him. Plus, Bradford had a hell of a season that no one talks about:

He threw for almost 4,000 yards, 20(ish) tds, and like 5 interceptions. I think he also set some record for highest completion percentage. The reason the vikings sucked were not because of him. They sucked because of their OL and they had no viable rb once AP went down.

And because Bradford didn't have any decent weapons around him due to a certain 1st round WR they were counting on from Ole Miss sucking ass.

[CadaverDawg]

Carson Palmer is back for Arizona.

He sucks. Let me rephrase...he isn't winning them a Championship

[msstate7]

The problem with that is that the Vikings already gave up their 2017 first round pick to the eagles for Sam Bradford. Don't think they go after him. Plus, Bradford had a hell of a season that no one talks about:

He threw for almost 4,000 yards, 20(ish) tds, and like 5 interceptions. I think he also set some record for highest completion percentage. The reason the vikings sucked were not because of him. They sucked because of their OL and they had no viable rb once AP went down.

I only watched the Vikings a few times this year and Bradford wasn't very impressive, so his stats surprise me. Honestly though, that just tells me romo would put up monster numbers there bc Bradford isn't in the same ballpark with a healthy romo imo

[DancingRabbit]

Dak ought to see if the Boys would pay league minimum for Derunnya, ha. They had some chemistry.

I read where Fred Ross has met with the Cowboys

[smootness]

He sucks. Let me rephrase...he isn't winning them a Championship

Well, let's be honest - neither is Romo.

[HSVDawg]

If they're trading Watt, they can get much better than Romo.

^^^This

[HSVDawg]

The cowboys should be able to get a TON for Romo. There are plenty of teams that need a legit starting qb.

Yeah, and if any team trades for Romo, the chances of him becoming a legit starting QB for them is about 5%. He's old, has a terrible injury history, is way past his prime (and wasn't ever Brady / Peyton / Brees good to begin with), and has a bad contract. Not to mention he won't have nearly the same offensive supporting cast at a Minnesota, Houston, or Denver as he had in Dallas. His absolute ceiling is MAYBE a top 15 QB in the league at this point, and that is if he is able to stay healthy. Some team may be dumb enough to give up a lot for him, but it would have to be an extraordinary situation where they have literally every other position on the field locked down for 2017 only before a bunch of key guys head into free agency, and they want to roll the dice on a potential run while all pieces are in place. I don't think there is a team out there that fits that criteria.

[msstate7]

Yeah, and if any team trades for Romo, the chances of him becoming a legit starting QB for them is about 5%. He's old, has a terrible injury history, is way past his prime (and wasn't ever Brady / Peyton / Brees good to begin with), and has a bad contract. Not to mention he won't have nearly the same offensive supporting cast at a Minnesota, Houston, or Denver as he had in Dallas. His absolute ceiling is MAYBE a top 15 QB in the league at this point, and that is if he is able to stay healthy. Some team may be dumb enough to give up a lot for him, but it would have to be an extraordinary situation where they have literally every other position on the field locked down for 2017 only before a bunch of key guys head into free agency, and they want to roll the dice on a potential run while all pieces are in place. I don't think there is a team out there that fits that criteria.

A healthy romo is much better than you give him credit for. In '14, he put up a qb rating of 113.2, which was the 7th best for a season ever and better than Brady's this year. He has a career qb rating of 97.1 which is 4th all time in NFL history. Health is a major concern though

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

AGe-wise... JJ is technically in his prime. But he has been injured quite a bit these past 2-3 years himself.

I agree. Watt has also stated publicly that he may not be that far away from retirement.

I Definitely think that this is the route the Cowboys should go though, but just for a more long term prospect. Von Miller Perhaps ?

[Reason2succeed]

The problem with that is that the Vikings already gave up their 2017 first round pick to the eagles for Sam Bradford. Don't think they go after him. Plus, Bradford had a hell of a season that no one talks about:

He threw for almost 4,000 yards, 20(ish) tds, and like 5 interceptions. I think he also set some record for highest completion percentage. The reason the vikings sucked were not because of him. They sucked because of their OL and they had no viable rb once AP went down.

And AP is trying to play for the Cowboys or Texans. He lives just north of Houston.

[smootness]

A healthy romo is much better than you give him credit for. In '14, he put up a qb rating of 113.2, which was the 7th best for a season ever and better than Brady's this year. He has a career qb rating of 97.1 which is 4th all time in NFL history. Health is a major concern though

And he's won two playoff games.

People are acting as though adding Romo can take these teams to championship level, which is kind of crazy. If Houston got him (and they definitely won't have to give up Watt to get him, that's crazy talk), you could make an argument they're a contender. Anybody else, that's not happening.

[smootness]

I agree. Watt has also stated publicly that he may not be that far away from retirement.

I Definitely think that this is the route the Cowboys should go though, but just for a more long term prospect. Von Miller Perhaps ?

Goodness, people. The Cowboys are not getting one of the top handful of players in all of football for Tony Romo.

[HereComesTheSpiral]

It would take Romo and half of the OL to get Watt. Whitney Mercilus would be the person I would try to get in a trade.

[Johnson85]

That's just it, they can't. His contract is terrible for a team trading for him. Especially considering you know that they have to cut him anyway. They won't get any decent compensation for him at his age, injuries and salary cap structure age. And shouldn't.

Is there not an equivalent defensive player somewhere out there? Somebody slightly pass their prime and/or injury prone, with a bad contract, but that still can offer a lot of value, even if there is some risk/reward to go with it?

Or hell, isn't there a team with an overpaid player that needs to be cut? Package that player with some mid round draft picks and trade Dallas for Romo and some later round draft picks? Seems like enough teams need a QB that there would be a mutually beneficial trade to be made somewhere.

[smootness]

It would take Romo and half of the OL to get Watt. Whitney Mercilus would be the person I would try to get in a trade.

Even that is likely a dream scenario. Romo is old, decrepit, and owed a lot of money. The Cowboys are basically just looking to dump his salary. Anything they get back is gravy. I'd guess a 3rd round pick is about the best they could do.

[smootness]

Is there not an equivalent defensive player somewhere out there? Somebody slightly pass their prime and/or injury prone, with a bad contract, but that still can offer a lot of value, even if there is some risk/reward to go with it?

Or hell, isn't there a team with an overpaid player that needs to be cut? Package that player with some mid round draft picks and trade Dallas for Romo and some later round draft picks? Seems like enough teams need a QB that there would be a mutually beneficial trade to be made somewhere.

The Cowboys want the contract off the books. Trading for a similarly overpaid player does them no good.

[dogshiek]

It would take Romo and half of the OL to get Watt. Whitney Mercilus would be the person I would try to get in a trade.

Romo reminds me of a quote of Sean Peyton about Reggie bush. "He's brittle ".

[Steakonastick]

If the Texans traded watt to the cowboys it would be for Dak and somebody else not romo. Romo will get traded for about a fifth round pick just to get him off the payroll.

[louisvilledawg]

I only watched the Vikings a few times this year and Bradford wasn't very impressive, so his stats surprise me. Honestly though, that just tells me romo would put up monster numbers there bc Bradford isn't in the same ballpark with a healthy romo imo

Completely agree - I just know it won't happen.

[Tbonewannabe]

If the Texans traded watt to the cowboys it would be for Dak and somebody else not romo. Romo will get traded for about a fifth round pick just to get him off the payroll.

At this point, the Cowboys are more likely to trade Dez, Whitten, Zeke, and Stephen Jones before they trade Dak. Right now Dak is probably a top 5 player in popularity. He is becoming the face of the NFL and Jerry isn't dumb enough to trade that. If anything, Jerry knows promotion.

[smootness]

At this point, the Cowboys are more likely to trade Dez, Whitten, Zeke, and Stephen Jones before they trade Dak. Right now Dak is probably a top 5 player in popularity. He is becoming the face of the NFL and Jerry isn't dumb enough to trade that. If anything, Jerry knows promotion.

Of course not. But in terms of value, that's what it would be. Not Romo.

[Johnson85]

The Cowboys want the contract off the books. Trading for a similarly overpaid player does them no good.

If they can cut Romo, would they not be able to cut whoever they traded for? I know the specific contract matters but I would think Romo would have as much guaranteed as anybody they would trade for, so if they're willing to cut Romo surely they can cut whoever teh acquire if they need to.

[HereComesTheSpiral]

Is there not an equivalent defensive player somewhere out there? Somebody slightly pass their prime and/or injury prone, with a bad contract, but that still can offer a lot of value, even if there is some risk/reward to go with it?

Or hell, isn't there a team with an overpaid player that needs to be cut? Package that player with some mid round draft picks and trade Dallas for Romo and some later round draft picks? Seems like enough teams need a QB that there would be a mutually beneficial trade to be made somewhere.

Mario Williams will more than likely be cut by Miami this offseason. He fits the old, past his prime, and cheap.

[whatever]

The Cowboys are going to eat the exact same amount of money toward the cap whether they trade or cut Romo, so at least they get something in return for trading him.

Problem is, other teams know they're going to have to cut him anyway, so why offer anything in a trade when you know he's going to hit the open market soon. Also by trading for him you then inherit his 14m base salary for 17', 19M for 18', and 20M for 19' (although they could release him or renegotiate his contract).

Only reason you would trade to get him is so you don't have to compete with other teams on the open market. Seems to me if he hits the open market he'll get to choose the best spot/team like Peyton did with the Broncos a few years back.

From the Cowboys perspective, I trade him to a bad team that offers the best return.

[smootness]

If they can cut Romo, would they not be able to cut whoever they traded for? I know the specific contract matters but I would think Romo would have as much guaranteed as anybody they would trade for, so if they're willing to cut Romo surely they can cut whoever teh acquire if they need to.

Yes, you're right. But what's the point of that? The argument was that they could get a similarly overpaid player and then play them.

[HSVDawg]

A healthy romo is much better than you give him credit for. In '14, he put up a qb rating of 113.2, which was the 7th best for a season ever and better than Brady's this year. He has a career qb rating of 97.1 which is 4th all time in NFL history. Health is a major concern though

You are right that he was very good in 2014. But that was 3 years and two major injuries ago. Expecting him to perform even close to that level at 38 years old and also remain healthy is fool hardy.

[HSVDawg]

The Cowboys are going to eat the exact same amount of money toward the cap whether they trade or cut Romo, so at least they get something in return for trading him

But they will have a lot more options and a lot more bargaining power in free agency. If they trade him, they are limited to just a few teams to negotiate with that could use a high risk aging QB for a playoff / SB run (maybe 4-5 teams at most), and only the players or picks those teams are willing to give up. With free agency they have their pick of the litter and don't have to go through somebody else's front office. Make no mistake, they will definitely shop him on the trade block first before they do anything because you don't know what you can get until you ask (and because draft picks aren't available through free agency). But there is a very high likelihood that what teams are willing to give up won't jive with what the Cowboys want, so I think them just releasing him is more likely.

[msstate7]

You are right that he was very good in 2014. But that was 3 years and two major injuries ago. Expecting him to perform even close to that level at 38 years old and also remain healthy is fool hardy.

Which is why JJ watt talk and such is foolish; but if I can get romo for a 3-5th round pick, I'm all over it if I'm the Vikings, cardinals, Texans, or broncos.

ETA... in extremely (extremely!!!) limited action this year, romo showed good arm strength and accuracy. None of the 4 teams I listed can win a super Bowl as is, but romo could possibly do it... therefore he's worth a mid round pick imo

[HSVDawg]

Which is why JJ watt talk and such is foolish; but if I can get romo for a 3-5th round pick, I'm all over it if I'm the Vikings, cardinals, Texans, or broncos.

Of course, but Dallas probably wouldn't go for anything below 3rd round (I wouldn't think) unless it was a team that was still a few years away from making a run. They'd be better off putting him on the market and letting non contender teams like the Bears, 49ers, Jets, etc drive up the price and probably get him. If they traded him to a Minnesota or a Denver and somehow Dallas faced off with them in the SB and they only gave up a 5th rounder, that would be a terrible trade for Dallas.

[smootness]

Of course, but Dallas probably wouldn't go for anything below 3rd round (I wouldn't think) unless it was a team that was still a few years away from making a run. They'd be better off putting him on the market and letting non contender teams like the Bears, 49ers, Jets, etc drive up the price and probably get him. If they traded him to a Minnesota or a Denver and somehow Dallas faced off with them in the SB and they only gave up a 5th rounder, that would be a terrible trade for Dallas.

If Dallas is facing Minnesota in the NFCCG or Denver in the SB even with Romo as their QB, I think the Cowboys would feel pretty confident about their chances.

But you bring up a good point. They may think twice about letting Houston have him for this reason. Honestly, they could just keep him around for another year. It would only be an extra $5 million toward this year's cap to do that, and it would be a far lesser hit next year. But paying that much for a backup QB is still dumb, so if I were them, I'd look to deal him to anybody lower than Houston for pretty much anything I could get.

[HSVDawg]

If Dallas is facing Minnesota in the NFCCG or Denver in the SB even with Romo as their QB, I think the Cowboys would feel pretty confident about their chances.

But you bring up a good point. They may think twice about letting Houston have him for this reason. Honestly, they could just keep him around for another year. It would only be an extra $5 million toward this year's cap to do that, and it would be a far lesser hit next year. But paying that much for a backup QB is still dumb, so if I were them, I'd look to deal him to anybody lower than Houston for pretty much anything I could get.

I agree. I just think they'd need to be more careful with teams like Minnesota and Denver (even though as long as Dak is healthy I'd like their chances in those games too). I'd avoid Houston like the plague unless they were actually dumb enough to deal a stud defensive player, ask for minimum 3rd rounder or potential Pro Bowl defender from Minnesota or Denver, and take what I could get from pretty much anyone else.

The one thing that is for sure is that currently Dallas holds all the cards, and the only way they can screw it up is by trading him to a potential contender without getting hardly anything in return. Every other option is very advantageous to them in at least some way.

[parabrave]

The problem with that is that the Vikings already gave up their 2017 first round pick to the eagles for Sam Bradford. Don't think they go after him. Plus, Bradford had a hell of a season that no one talks about:

He threw for almost 4,000 yards, 20(ish) tds, and like 5 interceptions. I think he also set some record for highest completion percentage. The reason the vikings sucked were not because of him. They sucked because of their OL and they had no viable rb once AP went down.

bradford did have a great year. However he is Romo jr who has a shoulder made of jello and is very injury prone. No one is going to take Romo with that contract. Jerry can afford to keep Romo , since he is getting away with paying Dak crap, as backup letting him retire as a cowboy.

[msstate7]

bradford did have a great year. However he is Romo jr who has a shoulder made of jello and is very injury prone. No one is going to take Romo with that contract. Jerry can afford to keep Romo , since he is getting away with paying Dak crap, as backup letting him retire as a cowboy.

Someone will definitely take a shot on romo. There's a reason the Blaine gabberts of the world in the top 10... QBs are almost a necessity to win

[Tbonewannabe]

bradford did have a great year. However he is Romo jr who has a shoulder made of jello and is very injury prone. No one is going to take Romo with that contract. Jerry can afford to keep Romo , since he is getting away with paying Dak crap, as backup letting him retire as a cowboy.

Only thing is Romo is not going to agree to just be the backup. He handled it extremely well during the season but he only has a couple of years left and he isn't going to spend them as a backup.

[DancingRabbit]

There might be conditional picks involved. Like Dallas getting a 4th round pick, plus a 2nd round pick if Romo plays in 12+ games.

[Joe Schmedlap]

Trade him (Romo) for BMac

[Johnson85]

Yes, you're right. But what's the point of that? The argument was that they could get a similarly overpaid player and then play them.

Someone else made the comment that the Cowboys were considering just cutting him. That was my point about trying to trade for another highly paid player that needs to be cut plus trading some draft picks. The cowboys get an improved draft position (or maybe just flat out more draft picks) and the other team gets Romo through trade rather than having to hope he signs with them after being cut.

[HSVDawg]

Someone else made the comment that the Cowboys were considering just cutting him. That was my point about trying to trade for another highly paid player that needs to be cut plus trading some draft picks. The cowboys get an improved draft position (or maybe just flat out more draft picks) and the other team gets Romo through trade rather than having to hope he signs with them after being cut.

And Dallas would be receptive to that so long as the teams they would be receiving picks from weren't likely future opponents in a high stakes postseason game. The question is do any non-contenders who need help at QB and also a bunch of other areas want to give away future building blocks for a guy that has maybe 1-2 years left so they could win a couple more games per year but still not make the playoffs? Its not likely. Even late round picks are valuable for teams that have multiple holes. The rub is that Dallas isn't going to trade him to a contender for late round picks and teams that aren't contenders probably won't want to trade late round picks with Dallas for an aging Romo.

[CadaverDawg]

Dallas could trade Romo and their next 2 first & 2nd rounders to the Browns for the #1 overall pick this year, and get Myles Garrett. Then the Browns get picks AND a QB. Lol

[msstate7]

Dallas could trade Romo and their next 2 first & 2nd rounders to the Browns for the #1 overall pick this year, and get Myles Garrett. Then the Browns get picks AND a QB. Lol

Yeah, the browns would be a playoff team 3 years from now if Dallas did that.

[HSVDawg]

Dallas could trade Romo and their next 2 first & 2nd rounders to the Browns for the #1 overall pick this year, and get Myles Garrett. Then the Browns get picks AND a QB. Lol

Might as well trade Dak and Zeke for Cody Kessler and Duke Johnson if they are gonna get that crazy.

[CadaverDawg]

Might as well trade Dak and Zeke for Cody Kessler and Duke Johnson if they are gonna get that crazy.

Ha, just trying to keep up with the thread

[whatever]

But they will have a lot more options and a lot more bargaining power in free agency. If they trade him, they are limited to just a few teams to negotiate with that could use a high risk aging QB for a playoff / SB run (maybe 4-5 teams at most), and only the players or picks those teams are willing to give up. With free agency they have their pick of the litter and don't have to go through somebody else's front office. Make no mistake, they will definitely shop him on the trade block first before they do anything because you don't know what you can get until you ask (and because draft picks aren't available through free agency). But there is a very high likelihood that what teams are willing to give up won't jive with what the Cowboys want, so I think them just releasing him is more likely.

Umm, what? Trading Romo doesn't give them less options or prevent them from doing the same thing they would've done in free agency by cutting him. How would cutting him give them more bargaining power? They'll likely get a mid to lower round pick (3rd-6th), not a player, in a trade and still be able to go get who they want in FA.

Also, your post about keeping him from going to a good team is the opposite of how I look at it. If they cut him, they have zero control over where he signs and he's going to want to go to the team that has the best chance to win like Peyton did. If they trade him, they can assure he doesn't go to a team that poses a threat to beat them by only trading with a Jags/Browns level team.

[HSVDawg]

Umm, what? Trading Romo doesn't give them less options or prevent them from doing the same thing they would've done in free agency by cutting him. How would cutting him give them more bargaining power? They'll likely get a mid to lower round pick (3rd-6th), not a player, in a trade and still be able to go get who they want in FA.

Also, your post about keeping him from going to a good team is the opposite of how I look at it. If they cut him, they have zero control over where he signs and he's going to want to go to the team that has the best chance to win like Peyton did. If they trade him, they can assure he doesn't go to a team that poses a threat to beat them by only trading with a Jags/Browns level team.

If you read my entire post you'll see that I agree with most of what you said. The bargaining power I was referring to was for the players they would be picking up with the cap money they unloaded from Romo.

Let's say in a hypothetical scenario (which I don't think is very farfetched), the trade market for Romo isn't so good. Let's say the only teams that want him are Denver and Houston, and neither is willing to give up anything higher than a 4th round pick to get him. Dallas is better off either cutting him and letting the chips fall where they may in free agency, or hanging onto him another year as opposed to just handing him over to one of those teams for basically nothing.

[dawgs]

Vikings, Cardinals, Denver, and Houston are all in this same boat. Super Bowl contenders with a healthy Romo.

Not sure about the cardinals. Palmer definitely didn't have his best year, but ended up with numbers that are about typical expectations from romo (4200 yes, 26 tds, 14 ints). Age is a wash. Palmer catches most of the blame, but their D was a pretty big let down this year too.

[dawgs]

Umm, what? Trading Romo doesn't give them less options or prevent them from doing the same thing they would've done in free agency by cutting him. How would cutting him give them more bargaining power? They'll likely get a mid to lower round pick (3rd-6th), not a player, in a trade and still be able to go get who they want in FA.

Also, your post about keeping him from going to a good team is the opposite of how I look at it. If they cut him, they have zero control over where he signs and he's going to want to go to the team that has the best chance to win like Peyton did. If they trade him, they can assure he doesn't go to a team that poses a threat to beat them by only trading with a Jags/Browns level team.

Jerry love tony too much to send him to the browns or jags (though jags have a lot of talent, they might be a QB away from being decent). He wouldn't send him to an NFC team that is a QB away from being a contender either. But both Houston and Denver are AFC teams, so that doesn't pose a problem there.

[whatever]

If you read my entire post you'll see that I agree with most of what you said. The bargaining power I was referring to was for the players they would be picking up with the cap money they unloaded from Romo.

Let's say in a hypothetical scenario (which I don't think is very farfetched), the trade market for Romo isn't so good. Let's say the only teams that want him are Denver and Houston, and neither is willing to give up anything higher than a 4th round pick to get him. Dallas is better off either cutting him and letting the chips fall where they may in free agency, or hanging onto him another year as opposed to just handing him over to one of those teams for basically nothing.

Romo's 17' cap impact to the Cowboys is the same whether they trade or cut him tho, so it doesn't give them any more $ to spend in FA if they cut him (before June 1) as opposed to trading him.

So an extra 4th round pick for him(which is probably close to what they'll get) is better than getting nothing for him by cutting him. It also allows them to control where he goes. The bad teams are now likely to give up more in a trade because they know Romo wont consider them if he has his choice of anywhere in unrestricted FA. He'll also take less in FA to go to let's say the Broncos than he would to a place that isn't set up to win

[HSVDawg]

Romo's 17' cap impact to the Cowboys is the same whether they trade or cut him tho, so it doesn't give them any more $ to spend in FA if they cut him (before June 1) as opposed to trading him.

I understand that. All else being equal, a trade for Romo is obviously better for the Cowboys than just releasing him. Cutting him definitely isn't the best option, but its still better than the worst option (see below)..


So an extra 4th round pick for him(which is probably close to what they'll get) is better than getting nothing for him by cutting him. It also allows them to control where he goes.

That is open to interpretation. Their control on where he goes is limited to the teams that are interested. If I'm the Cowboys, I'd much rather get a 5th or 6th round (or maybe even 7th round pick) from the Bears or the Jets than a 4th round pick from Houston or Denver. Too much risk there for not much reward as 4th round picks can be hit or miss.


The bad teams are now likely to give up more in a trade because they know Romo wont consider them if he has his choice of anywhere in unrestricted FA. He'll also take less in FA to go to let's say the Broncos than he would to a place that isn't set up to win

Disagree here. I expect the bad teams to be not nearly as interested in a trade for Romo as they would be in picking him up off free agency. That is because draft picks are far more valuable for those teams and it isn't worth giving those up because those teams are too far gone to be winning big in Romo's would-be tenure. But it would be worth those teams picking him up in FA if the price is right. He'd be worth a couple more wins and a lot better ticket sales if nothing else. And who knows, maybe they catch a break here and there and sneak into the playoffs.

My view of the hierarchy of Dallas's options for Romo (from best to worst) are as follows:

1) Trade him to a bad team for a Pro Bowl defensive player or Top 3 round draft pick (not likely, but Dallas should jump all over it if they get an offer)
2) Trade him to a contender level team in the AFC (Houston or Denver?) for a Pro Bowl defensive player and/or a Top 3 round draft pick.
3) Trade him to a bad team for a late round pick and/or aging veteran defensive player with a little gas left in the tank.
4) Cut him and play the free agent market, hope Romo lands on a bad team.
5) Do nothing; hang onto Romo another year and just eat the money.
6) Trade him to a contender level team for a late round pick. This is really the only option they should not consider.