After weeks of speculation, it is now official: Tony Romo is headed to the broadcast booth.
CBS Sports announced Tuesday that it has hired former Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo as its lead NFL analyst, replacing Phil Simms. Sports Business Daily and ESPN.com first reported that Romo and CBS had reached a verbal agreement; NFL Network reporter Ian Rapaport was the first to report that Romo would replace Simms.
Romo will work Sunday afternoon and Thursday night games alongside play-by-play voice Jim Nantz. Sports Business Daily earlier reported that Romo was uneasy about working both packages “right off the bat,” but TNF broadcast partners are contractually required to use their lead announce teams.
Romo will now make the rare transition from the playing field to the lead broadcast team of a major network. Even John Madden had to start lower on the depth chart before rising to lead analyst. Fox Sports, which was originally the frontrunner to acquire Romo, wanted him to serve as its #2 behind Troy Aikman, but the lack of opportunity for advancement — Aikman is firmly ensconced in the lead role — was reportedly one of the reasons Romo selected CBS.
As for Simms, there is no word on what is next for the longtime analyst, who in recent years had become a frequent target for criticism on social media. In a statement Tuesday, CBS said it was discussing a “future role” with Simms. It is rare for a lead NFL analyst to lose their position for reasons other than retirement, another job, or a network losing rights. Outside of Monday Night Football, which has had high turnover dating back to its ABC days, the last such instance was when NBC demoted Bob Trumpy in 1995.
Despite his splashy new role, Romo may very well feel the itch to return to football — and NFL franchises will not be hesitant to pursue him. An unnamed NFL executive told ESPN that Romo would become “every team’s emergency backup QB in case your starter gets hurt.”
