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"Prescott has earned the right to be our quarterback," Romo said, per Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. "As hard as that is for me to say, he's earned that right."
You can see Romo's full comments below:
It's hard to argue with Romo on that point. Prescott has led the Cowboys to an 8-1 record to start the season, the best mark in the NFL. The rookie quarterback has been superb, throwing for 2,339 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions, completing 66.8 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 125 yards and four more scores.
On Sunday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones finally confirmed, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer, that Prescott would be the starting quarterback, even with Romo returning to health.
It may have been the obvious choice given the team's play, but that doesn't mean it was an easy one for Romo to face.
"Getting hurt when you feel like you have the best team you've ever had is a soul-crushing moment for me," he noted, per the NFL Network.
He added, per George: "Everyone wants to be the reason we're winning or losing. Everyone wants to be that person."
For Romo, a different role will also mean a different battle on a weekly basis.
"I feel like we all have two battles," he said, per George. "One with the man across you and the one with the man inside of you."
Romo didn't take any questions, and even reading the statement was clearly an emotional moment for the 36-year-old. Andrew Brandt of MMQB.com felt the weight of the comments from the veteran quarterback:
Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News agreed:
Nonetheless, this season certainly puts Romo's future in doubt. It's uncertain if Romo will continue playing beyond this season, but if he does, it's hard to imagine he'll do so with the Cowboys. Romo is still due a $14 million salary in 2017 (along with a $5 million signing bonus), $19.5 million in 2018 and $20 million in 2019, per Spotrac.
That's a hefty price to pay for a backup quarterback. And it's hard to imagine Romo, if he believes he can still produce, will want to finish his career watching from the sidelines. In other words, if Romo continues to play, the Cowboys will likely be trading him this offseason.
One thing is certain, however: The Cowboys are now Prescott's team for the foreseeable future.
You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.
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