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Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News reported Monday head coach Jason Garrett "wouldn't say 100 percent that Dak Prescott" would be the starter moving into the immediate future.
"Don't want to get into those discussions," Garrett said, per Machota.
"We'll talk in detail of what Tony Romo's situation is going forward," Garrett said, per Josh Clark of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
While on the surface that sounds as though Romo has a chance to be the Cowboys starter in 2017, Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan suggested Garrett's decision to decline naming a starter at this point "is a bow to Romo, not an open-competition hint."
Romo will not be an unrestricted free agent until 2020, per Spotrac, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported "most people believe that Tony Romo has played his last game with the Dallas Cowboys."
That leaves the door open for a trade to a contender that could use more stability under center. Garrett seemed to realize that when he stressed, "We certainly want the best for him, whether it's here or somewhere else," per Machota.
Garrett's comments come the day after Dallas lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, 34-31.
Prescott threw an interception, but the loss was hardly his fault. He finished with 302 passing yards and three touchdowns and engineered multiple comeback efforts. Dallas fell behind 21-3 in the second quarter and was down 28-13 heading into the fourth, but Prescott nearly played the role of hero with two touchdown throws in the final quarter.
He also orchestrated a game-tying field-goal drive in the final minute, but Green Bay signal-caller Aaron Rodgers' brilliance set up Mason Crosby for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Prescott earned a Pro Bowl nod for his incredible season, but Romo is a four-time Pro Bowler himself. He has seven seasons with more than 3,400 passing yards—topping 4,000 in four of them—and 248 touchdown passes. Romo has led the Cowboys to the playoffs four times after the franchise had reached the postseason just once in the six seasons before his tenure.
It is tempting to say a pocket passer with a strong arm like Romo would be the perfect fit alongside Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield because opposing defenses couldn't key in on either one. Romo could beat them over the top if they bring additional bodies into the box to stop Elliott, and vice versa.
However, Romo is 36 years old. He appeared in only one game this season, throwing four pass attempts. He also played just four games last season.
What's more, Prescott proved to be capable of standing in the pocket and leading the Cowboys even though he was thrown into the fire as a rookie. Posting 3,667 passing yards and 23 touchdown tosses with just four interceptions, he was one of the best signal-callers in the NFL in 2016.
While Romo has done enough in his career to be considered a Cowboys legend in the eyes of many, the future of the franchise is set with Prescott and Elliott—even if Garrett wasn't quite ready to say so Monday.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
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