The Conspiracy Theories of Romo and the Cowboys

[Reality]

After weeks of speculation with little substance, the saga of Romo, the Cowboys and the unknown team has activated into full blown information overload. While most fans are intent to be led around by the media who seem more interested in wild speculation click-bait articles than any real research, or perhaps their traditional team leaks have disappeared and that is all they are left with. Either way, I think there is more going on here than most realize so I thought it would be fun to throw out a few facts and then attach a few conspiracy theories to them.

Before I start, let me be upfront in saying, there are no predictions here, simple observations and possibilities. If you don't like or agree with any or even all of them, I really don't care. It will not make you appear smarter or more enlightened because there is no way to know right now what is really going on behind the scenes.

Note: Even though he is joining the broadcast booth, you can be absolutely sure that he has a clause in his contract that will allow him to return to playing in the NFL if an opportunity comes along. This is very common among former star players who enter the broadcast booth when they cannot find a new contract at some point.

What we know

• We know the Cowboys have chosen Prescott as the starting quarterback now and in the future.
• We know Romo wants/wanted to play football this year.
• We know at least two TV networks want Romo to join their broadcast team.
• We know the Broncos are interested in Romo, but only as a free agent.
• We know the Texans are interested in Romo and need him badly, but do not want to trade for him if they can avoid it.
• We know that Romo has a family, with two kids and a third on the way, and that family lives in Dallas and he has said after his playing days are over, he will remain living in Dallas.
• We know that Romo played in a golf tournament for the first time in years recently.
• We know that Jerry announced to the league and media yesterday that any team can contact Romo to evaluate him physically and/or discuss his current contract.
• We know that today, news has come out that Romo will retire and enter the broadcast booth.

What we THINK we know

• Despite the "do right" claim by Jerry, the Cowboys likely want something for him given what a desperate team like the Vikings paid for Bradford last year.
• Romo has a family in Dallas that will not be moving and he has a third kid on the way, so it makes sense for Romo to only play for a team somewhat close to the Dallas area.
• Like most veteran players, Romo most likely only wants to play for an immediate contender, and since most teams that have a need for a good veteran quarterback do not fall into that category, his options are very limited.
• Only two teams have shown publicly they are interested in Romo, but there are likely other teams that would be interested in him should he be released.

Conspiracy Theory #1

Romo is frustrated with this being dragged out so long. To gain the upper hand, Romo is retiring now, forcing the Cowboys to designate him a June 1st release in order to split his salary over two season. Now, I am not familiar with the rules regarding the salary cap and un-retiring after being designated a June 1st cut, but I *believe* once a team designates a player as a June 1st cut, it is the same as releasing a player. The only difference is how it affects the salary cap. If this is the case, Romo could be forcing the team to release him now, then he could un-retire the moment he works out a deal with the team he wants to play for and the Cowboys would no longer have any say in the matter.

Conspiracy Theory #2

Romo is frustrated with the Cowboys front office. He wants to be released, not traded, especially not to most teams that might be interested in him. It is possible that Romo was not informed before Jerry came out yesterday and said any team can contact Romo. Romo may have taken this to mean he was going to be traded to any team that made a solid offer to the Cowboys. It may have meant Romo has already narrowed his choices or even choice of team he would play for and simply did not want to waste his or any other team's time. As such, Romo is telling the Cowboys that he will retire if not released which removes the last remaining Cowboys leverage to gain something in trade for Romo, while damaging the future relationship between him and the Cowboys organization.

Conspiracy Theory #3

Romo has decided he no longer wants to wait on a team like the Texans or Broncos to blink. He is basically telling them, trade for or, if released, sign him now or else he is moving on with his life and it will be too late later. This makes sense for Romo who has both golf and broadcast options waiting on him to decide. He is basically saying that he wants to figure out what he's doing this year, football or not, now and that he will not be waiting around for the teams involved, including the Cowboys, to wait each other out all off-season.

Conspiracy Theory #4

Romo played in a golf tournament recently and perhaps he realized just how much he missed playing golf. Since he can continue to play golf as long as he wants, and he knows as a former NFL quarterback he will get plenty of respect from many of the golfers out there, he may want to switch his focus to golf and leave the serious injuries and drama of the NFL in the past.

Conspiracy Theory #5

Romo is simply done with football. Whether his family talked him into it or he simply realized his health and future are more important than one last shot at a Super Bowl with a team not named the Cowboys, he has realized and accepted it is time to quit.

So, what is your conspiracy theory?

 

[Trouty]

Tony Romo was the second gunman?

 

[EST_1986]

with the CBS announcement, Romo has just decided to retire

 

[Reality]

with the CBS announcement, Romo has just decided to retire

I think you didn't read my post. I made this AFTER news leaked of his retirement and him joining the broadcast booth.

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

I think Romo's birthday suit didn't satisfy Jerry anymore.

He saw what a solid and strapping young man Dak was and had to reluctantly say goodbye to his sweet lover Romo.

Like Jerry always said, the shower is where you find out a lot about a man.

Romo deserved better.

 

[Trouty]

I think it's closer to #'s 3-5 than any of the others, Reality.

If he wasn't done, he'd still play some way somehow. Too many other things going on in his life (health, other career chances) that simply dissuaded him from the risk of going back out there, moreso than an "internal turmoil," imo.

 

[calico]

 

[Sportsbabe]

After weeks of speculation with little substance, the saga of Romo, the Cowboys and the unknown team has activated into full blown information overload. While most fans are intent to be led around by the media who seem more interested in wild speculation click-bait articles than any real research, or perhaps their traditional team leaks have disappeared and that is all they are left with. Either way, I think there is more going on here than most realize so I thought it would be fun to throw out a few facts and then attach a few conspiracy theories to them.

Before I start, let me be upfront in saying, there are no predictions here, simple observations and possibilities. If you don't like or agree with any or even all of them, I really don't care. It will not make you appear smarter or more enlightened because there is no way to know right now what is really going on behind the scenes.

What we know

• We know the Cowboys have chosen Prescott as the starting quarterback now and in the future.
• We know Romo wants/wanted to play football this year.
• We know at least two TV networks want Romo to join their broadcast team.
• We know the Broncos are interested in Romo, but only as a free agent.
• We know the Texans are interested in Romo and need him badly, but do not want to trade for him if they can avoid it.
• We know that Romo has a family, with two kids and a third on the way, and that family lives in Dallas and he has said after his playing days are over, he will remain living in Dallas.
• We know that Romo played in a golf tournament for the first time in years recently.
• We know that Jerry announced to the league and media yesterday that any team can contact Romo to evaluate him physically and/or discuss his current contract.
• We know that today, news has come out that Romo will retire and enter the broadcast booth.

What we THINK we know

• Despite the "do right" claim by Jerry, the Cowboys likely want something for him given what a desperate team like the Vikings paid for Bradford last year.
• Romo has a family in Dallas that will not be moving and he has a third kid on the way, so it makes sense for Romo to only play for a team somewhat close to the Dallas area.
• Like most veteran players, Romo most likely only wants to play for an immediate contender, and since most teams that have a need for a good veteran quarterback do not fall into that category, his options are very limited.
• Only two teams have shown publicly they are interested in Romo, but there are likely other teams that would be interested in him should he be released.

Conspiracy Theory #1

Romo is frustrated with this being dragged out so long. To gain the upper hand, Romo is retiring now, forcing the Cowboys to designate him a June 1st release in order to split his salary over two season. Now, I am not familiar with the rules regarding the salary cap and un-retiring after being designated a June 1st cut, but I *believe* once a team designates a player as a June 1st cut, it is the same as releasing a player. The only difference is how it affects the salary cap. If this is the case, Romo could be forcing the team to release him now, then he could un-retire the moment he works out a deal with the team he wants to play for and the Cowboys would no longer have any say in the matter.

Conspiracy Theory #2

Romo is frustrated with the Cowboys front office. He wants to be released, not traded, especially not to most teams that might be interested in him. It is possible that Romo was not informed before Jerry came out yesterday and said any team can contact Romo. Romo may have taken this to mean he was going to be traded to any team that made a solid offer to the Cowboys. It may have meant Romo has already narrowed his choices or even choice of team he would play for and simply did not want to waste his or any other team's time. As such, Romo is telling the Cowboys that he will retire if not released which removes the last remaining Cowboys leverage to gain something in trade for Romo, while damaging the future relationship between him and the Cowboys organization.

Conspiracy Theory #3

Romo has decided he no longer wants to wait on a team like the Texans or Broncos to blink. He is basically telling them, trade for or, if released, sign him now or else he is moving on with his life and it will be too late later. This makes sense for Romo who has both golf and broadcast options waiting on him to decide. He is basically saying that he wants to figure out what he's doing this year, football or not, now and that he will not be waiting around for the teams involved, including the Cowboys, to wait each other out all off-season.

Conspiracy Theory #4

Romo played in a golf tournament recently and perhaps he realized just how much he missed playing golf. Since he can continue to play golf as long as he wants, and he knows as a former NFL quarterback he will get plenty of respect from many of the golfers out there, he may want to switch his focus to golf and leave the serious injuries and drama of the NFL in the past.

Conspiracy Theory #5

Romo is simply done with football. Whether his family talked him into it or he simply realized his health and future are more important than one last shot at a Super Bowl with a team not named the Cowboys, he has realized and accepted it is time to quit.

So, what is your conspiracy theory?

#3

 

[reddyuta]

I really hate the Texans in all of this,they could have traded a measly 3rd Rd pick for Romo and become relevant but inexplicably didnt and now they havea statue Tom Savage out there and he wont last 3 games in there and will be forced to play a Rookie.

 

[jwooten15]

I definitely think there is more going on behind-the-scenes. What that is, though, is anybody's guess.

It's too simple for him to just retire and forge a second career. I'm not totally sold on it.

 

[Joe Realist]

I think there is a chance he ends up on the Texans because he was released. If he retires, I believe the Cowboys do own his rights. So, I don't expect him to file for awhile.

 

[LocimusPrime]

In a fit of rage over the process dragging out, romo inadvertently discovered that he was a mutant and was approached by a bald headed man who claimed he had a special school for gifted students.

The man revealed atrocities happening around the world that every day humans aren't aware of. So to save humanity and mutants alike, romo has opted to become a boradcaster which will provide him a cover and plenty of time to battle the forces of evil.

He will now be know as RomonusPrime

 

[Silver N Blue]

After weeks of speculation with little substance, the saga of Romo, the Cowboys and the unknown team has activated into full blown information overload. While most fans are intent to be led around by the media who seem more interested in wild speculation click-bait articles than any real research, or perhaps their traditional team leaks have disappeared and that is all they are left with. Either way, I think there is more going on here than most realize so I thought it would be fun to throw out a few facts and then attach a few conspiracy theories to them.

Before I start, let me be upfront in saying, there are no predictions here, simple observations and possibilities. If you don't like or agree with any or even all of them, I really don't care. It will not make you appear smarter or more enlightened because there is no way to know right now what is really going on behind the scenes.

Note: Even though he is joining the broadcast booth, you can be absolutely sure that he has a clause in his contract that will allow him to return to playing in the NFL if an opportunity comes along. This is very common among former star players who enter the broadcast booth when they cannot find a new contract at some point.

What we know

• We know the Cowboys have chosen Prescott as the starting quarterback now and in the future.
• We know Romo wants/wanted to play football this year.
• We know at least two TV networks want Romo to join their broadcast team.
• We know the Broncos are interested in Romo, but only as a free agent.
• We know the Texans are interested in Romo and need him badly, but do not want to trade for him if they can avoid it.
• We know that Romo has a family, with two kids and a third on the way, and that family lives in Dallas and he has said after his playing days are over, he will remain living in Dallas.
• We know that Romo played in a golf tournament for the first time in years recently.
• We know that Jerry announced to the league and media yesterday that any team can contact Romo to evaluate him physically and/or discuss his current contract.
• We know that today, news has come out that Romo will retire and enter the broadcast booth.

What we THINK we know

• Despite the "do right" claim by Jerry, the Cowboys likely want something for him given what a desperate team like the Vikings paid for Bradford last year.
• Romo has a family in Dallas that will not be moving and he has a third kid on the way, so it makes sense for Romo to only play for a team somewhat close to the Dallas area.
• Like most veteran players, Romo most likely only wants to play for an immediate contender, and since most teams that have a need for a good veteran quarterback do not fall into that category, his options are very limited.
• Only two teams have shown publicly they are interested in Romo, but there are likely other teams that would be interested in him should he be released.

Conspiracy Theory #1

Romo is frustrated with this being dragged out so long. To gain the upper hand, Romo is retiring now, forcing the Cowboys to designate him a June 1st release in order to split his salary over two season. Now, I am not familiar with the rules regarding the salary cap and un-retiring after being designated a June 1st cut, but I *believe* once a team designates a player as a June 1st cut, it is the same as releasing a player. The only difference is how it affects the salary cap. If this is the case, Romo could be forcing the team to release him now, then he could un-retire the moment he works out a deal with the team he wants to play for and the Cowboys would no longer have any say in the matter.

Conspiracy Theory #2

Romo is frustrated with the Cowboys front office. He wants to be released, not traded, especially not to most teams that might be interested in him. It is possible that Romo was not informed before Jerry came out yesterday and said any team can contact Romo. Romo may have taken this to mean he was going to be traded to any team that made a solid offer to the Cowboys. It may have meant Romo has already narrowed his choices or even choice of team he would play for and simply did not want to waste his or any other team's time. As such, Romo is telling the Cowboys that he will retire if not released which removes the last remaining Cowboys leverage to gain something in trade for Romo, while damaging the future relationship between him and the Cowboys organization.

Conspiracy Theory #3

Romo has decided he no longer wants to wait on a team like the Texans or Broncos to blink. He is basically telling them, trade for or, if released, sign him now or else he is moving on with his life and it will be too late later. This makes sense for Romo who has both golf and broadcast options waiting on him to decide. He is basically saying that he wants to figure out what he's doing this year, football or not, now and that he will not be waiting around for the teams involved, including the Cowboys, to wait each other out all off-season.

Conspiracy Theory #4

Romo played in a golf tournament recently and perhaps he realized just how much he missed playing golf. Since he can continue to play golf as long as he wants, and he knows as a former NFL quarterback he will get plenty of respect from many of the golfers out there, he may want to switch his focus to golf and leave the serious injuries and drama of the NFL in the past.

Conspiracy Theory #5

Romo is simply done with football. Whether his family talked him into it or he simply realized his health and future are more important than one last shot at a Super Bowl with a team not named the Cowboys, he has realized and accepted it is time to quit.

So, what is your conspiracy theory?

I'm buying number 5 with some golf reasoning sprinkled in.

 

[hornitosmonster]

According to reports the Cowboys retain his rights. So no, he cannot un-retire and become a free agent

 

[hornitosmonster]

I really hate the Texans in all of this,they could have traded a measly 3rd Rd pick for Romo and become relevant but inexplicably didnt and now they havea statue Tom Savage out there and he wont last 3 games in there and will be forced to play a Rookie.

The GM messed up. Miracle he has a job, struck out on Oswelier ,missed on Romo, and has no real QB on the roster. Looks like the draft and/or Cutler. LOL, sucks to be him

 

[Reality]

According to reports the Cowboys retain his rights. So no, he cannot un-retire and become a free agent

I believe the Cowboys still have to designate him a June 1st cut (aka: release him) in order to spread the $24.7 million cap hit over two seasons. To retain his rights, they would have to absorb all of his cap hit now OR request that Romo repay part of his guaranteed money to help offset it. If they do the latter, it will most likely end any future relationship Romo has with the Cowboys so I don't see Jerry doing that, especially after boldly promoting the "do right" plan.

 

[Typhus]

I think Romo's birthday suit didn't satisfy Jerry anymore.

He saw what a solid and strapping young man Dak was and had to reluctantly say goodbye to his sweet lover Romo.

Like Jerry always said, the shower is where you find out a lot about a man.

Romo deserved better.

Not Romophopic as a straight man, but that made me cringe a bit.

 

[MileyDancer]

Can it just stop? Please?

 

[Trouty]

Can it just stop? Please?

What?

 

[Reality]

The GM messed up. Miracle he has a job, struck out on Oswelier ,missed on Romo, and has no real QB on the roster. Looks like the draft and/or Cutler. LOL, sucks to be him

I would hate to be a Texans fan right now knowing how great their defense was last year and only have Savage or Weeden as your quarterback now. I think this is probably less about the GM and more about the owners. The Texans probably do not want to admit to the long time perception that they are the "other" NFL team in Texas, rather than "The" team in Texas, by coming across as giving in to the Cowboys trade demands when sports media has been saying all along that Romo will be released and only an idiot would trade for him.