Game of Chicken between Cowboys and Texans?

[waldoputty]

Days before start of free agency:
Denver stated it will not trade for Romo
Texans stated it will not trade for Romo
Jerry stated that he could trade or release Romo

Day before start of free agency:
Rumor that Cowboys will release Romo by start of free agency - started by whom?

Just before start of free agency:
Texans traded Osweiller and 2018 2nd round pick and 6th round pick for 2017 4th round pick.

With start of free agency:
Cowboys do not release Romo
Cowboys stated?/rumor that they always meant to trade Romo
Texans said they will not trade for Romo but did not sign any QB
No apparent rumor from Denver

Day after start of free agency:
Cowboys signed 4 free agents including Terrance Williams with a 17M total and ~10M guaranteed.

Questions:
1. Are the leaks/rumors part of the game of chicken - seems so to me
2. Did Jerry intentionally changed their stance after the trade of Osweiller thinking Texans screwed up - seems so to me.
3. Did Jerry bait Denver and Texans to see what would happen by releasing the rumor that Romo will be released - hoping for a favorable response - possibly - just dont know.
4. Did Cowboys intentionally sign all 4 free agents rapidly in succession to make a point - probably not. It did get one message across - Cowboys do not need Romo's cap dollars for free agency - as the Cowboys appear to be done. Jerry made the point that Romo was not need for free agency in his interview. To clear cap space for draft, they only need to restructure Dez or TCrawford.
5. What is the next milestone? Draft - Texans need to decide whether to use a 1st round pick on a QB. After that, it would be June 1? And then the start of training camp. Also when and if Cutler signs and also when and if New England trades Jimmy G.
6. Why do Texans just not sign Cutler - they would if they think he can do it. They probably dont, and signing Cutler would commit them to expenditures they do not want to commit to.
7. Would New England be a player. I would think so, though I would rather trade Jimmy to Cleveland than Texans if I were Belicheat. He wants every advantage and if nothing else, Jimmy is probably more durable than Romo.

 

[ChronicCowboy]

Hopefully the Cowboys have come to the conclusion that it is better to wait on Romo than free up 5 million for no reason. Someone will eventually give us something. If the 5 milllion would ensure a premium signing I might feel otherwise, but it won't.

 

[StarBoyz83]

I'd wait until June to cut him. They don't bite then it didn't matter anyway.

 

[waldoputty]

I'd wait until June to cut him. They don't bite then it didn't matter anyway.

if not for the relationship, romo should not be released until the day before the regular season starts

 

[Cowboys22]

I think it's obvious what happened. Houston let word of their deal get out too soon. They should have waited a bit to announce it. Once Jerry saw that deal, he decided to wait and see what might happen. I think he was set to release Romo but decided to hold off once Houston traded Brock. It think it's as simple as that. There was no grand scheme or deception planned.

 

[Hardline]

The Houston and Denver interest in Romo is most likely media driven.

 

[ghst187]

The Houston and Denver interest in Romo is most likely media driven.

By the media and common sense

 

[Cowboys22]

The Houston and Denver interest in Romo is most likely media driven. The reality neither team have an interest.

They are both interested but Jerry let the narrative become that Romo would be released so they set their plans with that in mind and are slow to change their plan. Jerry has to change the narrative to include that it's entirely possible Romo will be kept in Dallas or he will eventually have to release him.

 

[waldoputty]

They are both interested but Jerry let the narrative become that Romo would be released so they set their plans with that in mind and are slow to change their plan. Jerry has to change the narrative to include that it's entirely possible Romo will be kept in Dallas or he will eventually have to release him.

i thought that before, but there is no way that could work.
romo's impact on the cap space is so dramatic that no one would believe him.
it would open up $25m per year in both 2018 and in 2019.

 

[DFWJC]

Team activities begin in a month or so.
Dallas would not want to risk Romo getting hurt then and being on the hookfor the full salary (14 mil) and cap of 24 mil.

Then again, most feel Jerry would rather Romo be in Denver than Houston. But Houston seems to have more interest...as they should

 

[the_h0wey]

I think it's obvious what happened. Houston let word of their deal get out too soon. They should have waited a bit to announce it. Once Jerry saw that deal, he decided to wait and see what might happen. I think he was set to release Romo but decided to hold off once Houston traded Brock. It think it's as simple as that. There was no grand scheme or deception planned.

This^^^

 

[Cowboys22]

i thought that before, but there is no way that could work.
romo's impact on the cap space is so dramatic that no one would believe him.
it would open up $25m per year in both 2018 and in 2019.

Sure it is. They have planned the cap to keep Romo for several more years. They didn't see Dak coming. All they have to do is stick to that original plan. Sure it doesn't free up as much space in future years but he could be released next year and save lots of room. It's not the conventional way to do things but whoever heard of a football team selling a 2nd round pick but that just happened. It can be done and Romo can be kept until a team needs a QB. Jerry just has to have the will to do it.

 

[BlueStar22]

The Houston and Denver interest in Romo is most likely media driven.

nah, both have SB Defenses and scrubs at QB. Can't win the big one without both. I think both are really interested.

 

[Cowboys22]

Team activities begin in a month or so.
Dallas would not want to risk Romo getting hurt then and being on the hookfor the full salary (14 mil) and cap of 24 mil.

Then again, most feel Jerry would rather Romo be in Denver than Houston. But Houston seems to have more interest...as they should

They can limit his activity to reduce any risk. You can't do what Jerry is doing if you have set deadlines. You have to be willing to take it all the way.

 

[waldoputty]

Sure it is. They have planned the cap to keep Romo for several more years. They didn't see Dak coming. All they have to do is stick to that original plan. Sure it doesn't free up as much space in future years but he could be released next year and save lots of room. It's not the conventional way to do things but whoever heard of a football team selling a 2nd round pick but that just happened. It can be done and Romo can be kept until a team needs a QB. Jerry just has to have the will to do it.

sure everyone knows we have the cap space to keep romo.
but everyone also knows romo's cap space can fit 2 or 3 war daddies - depending on how you play with the cap.
furthermore, if you keep romo for the year, you push 2/3 of the dead money into 2018 and 2019.

 

[Coy]

The Houston and Denver interest in Romo is most likely media driven.

No way, I'd bet he ends up with either of those teams and probably with the Texans, I would add that it will happen in less than a week.

Those two teams become instant SB contenders with #9 on their team. Di you thi k the Texans want to roll with Savage for their SB run??? Me neither.

 

[Cowboys22]

sure everyone knows we have the cap space to keep romo.
but everyone also knows romo's cap space can fit 2 or 3 war daddies - depending on how you play with the cap.
furthermore, if you keep romo for the year, you push 2/3 of the dead money into 2018 and 2019.

So what. The money pushed to 2018/2019 is a lot less and will still be big savings. This is all about whether or not you really want a pick for Romo. If you do, then you have to be ready to keep him for another year and wait for a team to blink or an injury to happen. If you aren't willing to do that and take the risk of keeping him, then you will probably have to cut him sooner rather than later.

 

[waldoputty]

So what. The money pushed to 2018/2019 is a lot less and will still be big savings. This is all about whether or not you really want a pick for Romo. If you do, then you have to be ready to keep him for another year and wait for a team to blink or an injury to happen. If you aren't willing to do that and take the risk of keeping him, then you will probably have to cut him sooner rather than later.

i think i misunderstood you.
are you saying keep romo into the regular season?
that would be a circus that no one wants...
that would increase romo's overall cap hit to 25M + 9M instead of 19M.
you can buy a lot with 14M of cap space if the FO ever decide to use it

i can see keeping him into part of the preseason, but that would be it.
that would inflict damage on the team that wants him since preseason would be critical into the value of the player.

 

[Cowboys22]

i think i misunderstood you.
are you saying keep romo into the regular season?
that would be a circus that no one wants...
that would increase romo's overall cap hit to 25M + 9M instead of 19M.
you can buy a lot with 14M of cap space if the FO ever decide to use it

i can see keeping him into part of the preseason, but that would be it.
that would inflict damage on the team that wants him since preseason would be critical into the value of the player.

I'm saying you have to be prepared to keep him all season if you really want to get a pick for him. If you're not willing to do that then it will be Jerry that will eventually blink and be forced to release him. Everybody understands all the cap angles. Yes, the quicker he is gone the better for the cap but then you get no pick.

 

[Reality]

I guess common sense and logic are being ignored right now due to the off-season free agency meltdown.

The Texans knew Brock was not their quarterback of the future. They realized they overpaid for him. They found a trade partner willing to eat his contract, which was a miracle given the size of his contract and how badly he played last year. They had to find a perfect trade partner, one that wanted draft picks more than money and the player, and one that had the salary cap to absorb the contract and they found one in the Browns. They would have made that trade even if Romo had already been traded to another team, because it was in their best interest.

Let's say you bought a house two years ago that you are upside down in, meaning you owe more than the house is worth. You want to move and have your eye on a house that several people want. A buyer approaches you and says they will not only buy your current house for market value but also pay whatever difference you would owe after the sale. Do you accept that offer without knowing whether you will be able to buy the house you want? Absolutely, you do! Why? Because there are two issues at play, not one. First, you have a house that will be very hard to get rid of yet you someone is offering you a way out of that mess right now. Second, you have a new house you want to get. The first problem has to be solved before the second problem is even an actual option, so you focus on solving the first problem first.

Do you really think the Texans have no other plans in place assuming they do not get Romo? They have likely talked with other teams about trades for veteran quarterbacks, especially current backup quarterbacks, where they could help the other team like Cleveland helped them, meaning eating a bad or no longer wanted/needed contract. They have also likely talked with other free agent quarterbacks as well.

Sure, Romo is likely their main target, but they also realize that Romo may end up somewhere else. Either way, by trading Brock, they fixed the immediate problem with his contract and, more importantly, they have made it possible to move quickly should they make a deal with Dallas or Romo is released or some other quarterback option becomes available.