Tony Romo

At 44 years old, Tony Romo has this physical status:

Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American football television analyst and retired quarterback who spent 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for Eastern Illinois University, where he received the Walter Payton Award in 2002 and led the Panthers to a prestigious Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2001. In 2003, he was signed as an undrafted free agent for the Cowboys.

Romo, who began his career as a holder, became the Cowboys' starting quarterback in 2006.

He coached the Cowboys to four postseason appearances and was named to the Pro Bowl four times from 2006 to 2015.

Romo resigned after the 2016 season after suffering a preseason back injury that caused him to lose his starting position to Dak Prescott.

He was recruited by CBS Sports to be the lead color analyst for their NFL telecasts after retiring, teaming with Jim Nantz in the broadcast booth. Romo holds numerous Cowboys team records, including passing touchdowns, passing yards, most games with at least 300 passing yards, and games with three or more touchdown passes.

He also had a higher passer rating in the fourth quarter than any other NFL quarterback from 2006 to 2013.

Romo's image was harmed by a lack of postseason success, winning only two of the six playoff games he appeared in and never advanced beyond the divisional round.

His 97.1 passer rating is the fourth highest of all time and the highest among quarterbacks not to play in the Super Bowl, as well as the highest among retired players.

Early years

Romo was born in San Diego, California, to Ramiro Romo Jr. and Joan Jakubowski. Romo is a "Navy brat" because he was born when his father was stationed in the San Diego United States. Base on the Naval Base. The Romos later returned to Burlington, Wisconsin, where Ramiro served as a carpenter and builder and his wife, Joana, worked as a grocery store clerk. Romo played baseball as an infant and was selected to the Little League All-Star team.

Ramiro Romo Sr., Romo's paternal grandfather, migrated from Mzquiz, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas, as an infant. Tony's triumph is used as an example of the possibilities open to refugees in the United States, according to the elder Romo: "I've always said that this is a land of opportunities." If you don't want to work or an education, it's because you don't want to." Romo's mother has German and Polish roots.

Romo was named quarterback for the Burlington High School Demons as a freshman (1996 season) in the 1999 season. Romo and the Demons finished with a 3–6 record in 1997, though he received several awards, including the All-Racine County football team and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association first team honors. Romo was also a starter on the Burlington High School varsity basketball team, and he has played golf and tennis. He joined Caron Butler on the All-Racine County (Wisconsin) team in 1998. Romo was recruited by several mid-major basketball schools in the NCAA, such as Wisconsin-Green Bay, with per-game averages of 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Romo graduated from Burlington High School in 1998, with his 1,080 points being the all-time scoring record for the Burlington basketball varsity.

Personal life

Romo began dating American singer and actress Jessica Simpson in November 2007. Simpson attended a Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game at Texas Stadium on December 16, 2007, when Romo had a poor showing in the loss to the Eagles. Controversy erupted before the playoff game against the New York Giants, a game that the Cowboys would lose — when photographs of Romo (along with colleagues Jason Witten and Bobby Carpenter) at a Cabo San Lucas resort with Simpson emerged. People in July 13, 2009, discovered that Romo and Simpson broke up on July 9, 2009, the night before her 29th birthday.

Candice Crawford, the 2008 Miss Missouri USA, a former journalist for Dallas television station KDAF, and actor Chace Crawford's sister were married on May 28, 2011. They had been dating since the summer of 2009 and got engaged on December 16, 2010. Hawkins Crawford Romo (born April 9, 2012), Rivers Romo (born March 18, 2014), and Jones McCoy Romo (born August 23, 2017) are three sons together.

Romo is an avid amateur golfer who tried to qualify for the 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the 2005 US Open, but failed. He plays golf around Dallas during the offseason, when not training. In 2008, he failed to qualify for Byron Nelson in qualifying. It was revealed in February 2018 that he had been given a sponsor's permission to participate in the PGA Tour's Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from March 22 to 25. After the second round, Romo missed the cut with scores of 77 and 82, dead last. He won the American Century Championship, a celebrity tournament, in July 2018.

Romo is a Christian and has expressed his faith in a variety of ways, "My faith has increased, and I'm finding that having Jesus makes life a lot simpler." You will have everlasting joy in your life if Jesus is present. It helps you with the ups and downs of professional football."

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College career

Romo attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, where he competed for the NCAA Division I-AA Eastern Illinois Panthers football team and was a member of Sigma Pi. As a sophomore in 2000, he ranked second in Division I-AA in passing efficiency, clocking in 164-of-278 (59%) passes for 2,583 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was named an All-America honorable mention, an All-Ohio Valley Conference member, and OVC Player of the Year after the season. He led Division I-AA in passing efficiency as a junior, completing 138-of-207 passes for 2,068 yards and 21 touchdowns.

On October 14, 2002, Romo earned OVC Player of the Week honors after his eight-yard scramble on the last play of the game, leading Eastern Illinois to a 25-24 victory over Eastern Kentucky.

Romo became the first player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award, which is given each year to the best Division I-AA football player. With 85 touchdown passes, he finished his school and conference records. With 8,212 passing yards and second in school history, he came in second in second and third in conference history. With 258 in 407 attempts for 3,418 yards as a senior, he set school and conference records for completions. This was the second time in conference and the third in school history for a season. He threw for 34 touchdowns and one touchdown. In total offense, Romo's 3,149 yards as a senior ranked third in school and conference history. Romo received consensus All-America honors along with the Walter Payton Award. In addition,, he was chosen All-Ohio Valley Conference and was named OVC Player of the Year for the third year in a row.

Eastern Illinois University's No. 17 has been retired Romo's No. 17 during homecoming weekend on October 17, 2009. 17 jerseys and inducted him into the EIU's Hall of Fame. Romo is the first Eastern Illinois player to have his number retired. "It's such a privilege to be inducted into the Hall of Fame here," he said about the event, "and with the jersey ceremony, it holds a special place in your heart."

Romo was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 7, 2021, as a member of the 2021 class.

Professional career

Romo did not initially get a ticket to the 2003 NFL Combine, but instead of being a late-invitation to throw passes to other prospects during drills, he was given a late invitation to attend as an extra quarterback. Despite some fascinating some scouts, he was undrafted by no NFL team until the 2003 NFL Draft. Romo was advised by Dallas assistant head coach Sean Payton of the Cowboys of the Cowboys' interest (Romo was also actively sought by Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan), and the Cowboys immediately signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Cowboys. On the Cowboys' depth chart, Romo came in third, behind Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson. In 2004, the Cowboys cut Hutchinson and signed veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde, selling a third-round draft pick to the Houston Texans for quarterback Drew Henson. Following allegations of drug abuse, Romo was suspended from the roster until Carter was released. Romo was the placekick holder for 2004 and 2005. The Cowboys signed veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the team's eighth starting quarterback since 2000, after Vinny Testaverde's time in Dallas ended in 2005.

In a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, one of Romo's early career highlights was in 2004, when (as the third-string quarterback) he rushed for the winning touchdown with six seconds remaining. Romo, who was promoted to the Cowboys' second quarterback in 2005, had solid results in the 2005 and 2006 pre-seasons. Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints' head coach, had a third-round draft pick for Romo in the 2006 off-season, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declined, requesting no less than a second-round draft pick.

Romo began the season as a backup to starter Drew Bledsoe. In a home game against the Houston Texans on October 15, he took his first regular season snap at quarterback. Wide receiver Sam Hurd's first NFL pass was a 33-yard completion. Terrell Owens' only other pass of the game was a two-yard touchdown pass, his first in the NFL, to him.

Romo was recalled by Bledsoe one week later against the New York Giants in the second half of a game against the New York Giants on October 23, 2006. His first pass was tipping and intercepted. His game stats in his second appearance in football were 14 completions on 25 attempts for 227 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown). In Week 8 of the 2006 season, Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells revealed Romo will be the Cowboys starting quarterback for the October 29 game against the Carolina Panthers on NBC Sunday Night Football. Romo led the Cowboys to victory in his first game as a starter, 35-14. Romo was Sunday Night Football's "Rock Star of the Game" in the game.

Romo led the Cowboys past the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL's last undefeated team. As the Cowboys defeated the Colts 21–14, he completed 19 of 23 passes. He was a three-days later helping the Cowboys win in a Thanksgiving Day game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the score of 38–10. Romo went 22-29 for 306 yards on five touchdown passes and no interceptions. He was named the Thanksgiving Day MVP for his role on FOX's Galloping Gobbler Award.

Romo aided the Cowboys in securing a playoff spot, their second since Parcells became coach in 2003. With a passer rating of 95.1, he concluded the 2006 regular season with 220 completions on 337 pass attempts for 2,903 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.

On January 6, 2007, the Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card playoff round. With the Cowboys trailing 21-20 on fourth-and-one with 1:19 remaining in the game, the Cowboys attempted a 19-yard field goal. Romo, the kicker, fumbled the snap. He recovered the ball and tried to run it in, but was blocked short of the first down marker and turned the ball over on the Seattle 2-yard line. The Cowboys went on to lose the game. Romo finished seventh in the NFC in passing yards (2,903) and touchdown passes (19).

After Drew Brees went down with an elbow injury as a replacement for Marc Bulger, Romo played in the 2007 Pro Bowl. He had one touchdown and one intercept, and was the NFC's kickoff holder in the game.

Romo started the 2007 season with four touchdown passes and an additional touchdown rush, the first of his career, defeating the New York Giants 45-35 in the Cowboys' first game of the regular season. The NFL led the way with his 345 passing yards in Week 1. In Week 2, he threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns over the Miami Dolphins, placing him seventh in passing yards and tied for second with six touchdown passes. In the Cowboys' Week 334–10 victory over the Chicago Bears, Romo passed for 329 passing yards and two touchdown passes. In a 35–7 victory over the St. Louis Rams last week, he passed for 339 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for an additional touchdown. With 11 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns, he improved his season totals to 1199 passing yards. Romo's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2007. Romo said that although he was worried about the family's death, he had to continue to concentrate on his work.

Romo threw five interceptions (four in the first half, two of which were returned for touchdowns) and lost a fumble on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills. In a winning bid, he became the second person in Monday Night Football to throw five interceptions in a winning effort. Wade Wilson, the quarterback, was the first person to teach. Despite this, he threw for 4,211 yards (third in the NFL) and 36 touchdown passes during the regular season (second only to Tom Brady). Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, David Garrard, and Peyton Manning all had a 97.4 passer rating, good enough for fifth in the NFL.

Romo and the Cowboys signed a six-year, $67.5 million contract extension on October 29, which was a new one on October 29.

Romo threw four touchdown passes against the Green Bay Packers on November 29 in a game between 10-1 teams, defeating Danny White's (29) record from 1983. Romo became the first Cowboys quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season on December 22 against the Carolina Panthers. Romo finished his season with his 335th appearance against the Washington Redskins on December 30, a short pass to tight end Jason Witten. The Cowboys finished the season on a 13-3 record.

Romo was unable to help his team win by the New York Giants in January 13, 2008. Romo threw the ball into the end zone on fourth down with less than half a minute and no timeouts remaining, but Giants cornerback R. W. McQuarters intercepted it, ensuring that the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs with a 21–17 defeat to the eventual Super Bowl XLII champions.

Romo led the Cowboys to a 28–10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in their season opener on September 7, 2008. Romo completed 24 of his 32 passes for a total of 320 yards and one touchdown. Romo needed 13 stitches for a large gash on his chin after a game in the third quarter when linebacker Willie McGinest struck him in the chin with his helmet. For the assault, McGinest paid $7,500.

In the second game of the 2008 season, Romo led the Dallas Cowboys to a 41–37 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on September 15, their second game of the season. Romo completed 21 of his 30 passes for a total of 312 yards and three touchdowns. In the first half of a Monday Night Football game, the Cowboys and Eagles scored 54 total points in the first half, the second most points scored in a half. Romo also signed a five-year, $10 million partnership with apparel manufacturer Starter last month, but the company did not have a deal with the NFL, so the firm did not have a deal with the NFL.

Romo and the Cowboys won their third straight games before losing to the Washington Redskins, falling 3–1. Romo was injured in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals following a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cowboys lost to the St. Louis Rams, beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and lost to the New York Giants under Brad Johnson's tenure.

Romo and the Cowboys were unable to compete against the Philadelphia Eagles in what became de facto third playoff game for Romo, a mere three weeks before the game got underway. Romo had three turnovers in the game and went 21/39 for 183 yards and no touchdowns. Romo's total record in December fell to 5–8, prompting concerns about his results in games of consequence.

In their season opener, Romo led the Cowboys to a 34–21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 16 of his 27 passes for a career-high 353 yards and three touchdowns.

In the Cowboys home opener at their new Cowboys Stadium, Romo and the Cowboys were defeated in week 2 against the New York Giants. Romo completed 13 of 29 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. He also threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown for the Giants.

Romo was quoted as saying, "We came out stale" against a Denver Broncos team that had effectively kicked down his teammates' passing and running attacks. Sam Hurd was successful in completing a 53-yard pass in the second half, but he had trouble getting the ball in the end zone on the following three plays, which would have brought the game to overtime. "We need to get better," He said.

Romo passed for a career-high 392 yards against the New York Giants in December, as well as three touchdown passes in a losing effort.

In Romo's 13th game of the season, after several kicks were called off by kicker Nick Folk due to bad holds by punter Mat McBriar, the San Diego Chargers return to action for the first time since the 2006.

Romo led the Cowboys to victory over an undefeated squad late in the season for the second time in his career. He won against the 9-0 Indianapolis Colts in 2006, and he defeated the 13–0 Saints in New Orleans on December 19, 2009, throwing for 312 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.

Romo was the first quarterback in team history to play every snap for a full season. He also set a record for single season passing yards with 4,483 yards, becoming the first Cowboys quarterback to throw more than 20 touchdowns and fewer than ten interceptions in a season. His eight 300 yard games set a new team record, beating his own record from 2007. His 1.6% interception percentage tied for a team record, and his career interception percentage hit the lowest level in franchise history.

With their season finale shutout of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys became the NFC East division champions, marking their second straight championship appearance for the starting quarterback in Romo's three full seasons as the starting quarterback.

Romo had a 104.9 passer rating in a 34–14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Cowboys their first play-off victory in 13 years and his first career post-season victory. However, Romo had three fumbles (losing two), an interceptor, and was sacked six times in the 34–3 loss, which was the same last week.

Romo threw for a career-high 406 yards and three touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5. In the fourth quarter, however, he shrew two costly interceptions, resulting in a 34-27 loss at Cowboys Stadium. Romo and the Cowboys were desperate for a victory after a record of 1–3 and last in the division. They faced the Minnesota Vikings, who also had a 1–3 record and were in need of a win. Romo threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns, but he also dropped two costly interceptions. The Cowboys lost the game by a score of 24-21.

Romo sustained a broken left clavicle during a Monday Night Football match against the New York Giants on October 25, 2010. Romo was knocked to the ground by Giants linebacker Michael Boley during the second quarter, causing the injury. On December 21, 2010, he was stationed on Injured Reserve and was replaced by veteran Jon Kitna.

Romo's 102.5 quarterback rating in 2011 was the fourth best in the league behind Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady, and the second highest in Cowboys history.

Romo had four fourth-quarter appearances in 2011 and had a game-winning field goal try against the Arizona Cardinals and a match-tying field goal against the New York Giants blocked, but the Cowboys lost both of those games).

Romo sustained a cracked rib and a punctured lung on a Carlos Rogers hit in Week 2 that forced him to miss part of the game. Romo came back in the fourth quarter and played in the fourth quarter, kicking for a touchdown and driving down the field for the game-tying field goal with four seconds remaining in the game, prompting overtime. Romo intercepted Jesse Holley for 77 yards on the first offensive possession for the Cowboys in overtime, setting up the 19 yard game-winning field goal. Despite the cracked rib and punctured lung, Romo finished the game with 345 yards and two touchdowns with an 116.4 rating. Romo was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week Award for his appearance in this game. Romo used a protective jacket for a few games to shield his torso.

Romo earned his second highest quarterback rating of his career in Week ten in Week 10, earning a score of 148.40 on November 23, 2006 (on November 23, 2006, Romo received a rating of 148.90).

Romo played a big role in the last month of the season, with 72.1 percent of his passes going for 1,158 yards with 10 touchdowns and just one interceptor.

Romo sustained a serious hand injury when he smashed it against an opposing player's helmet in Week 16. After struggling with just two passes with no completions, he left the game. The NFC East championship and a playoff spot were up for grabs for both teams involved, with the loser barred from playoff contention. Despite the hand injury the previous week, Romo started the game. As the Cowboys lost the game 31–14, fell to an 8–8 record and were barred from playoff contention, he went 29 out of 37 passing for 289 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception for a 78% pass completion rate (second highest of the season).

Romo had 32 of the 39 total touchdowns scored by the Cowboys in the 2011 NFL season (82.1%). No other player in the 2011 regular season had a higher percentage of team touchdowns (Cam Newton had a 72 percent lead).

As the 2012 season begins, Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL.com analyst, ranked Romo as the league's top quarterback. Romo was ranked as the 12th best quarterback in the league going into the 2012 season by the infamous 2012 NFL Top 100.

Romo threw three touchdown passes against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13. Romo received 166 career touchdown passes during the first pass, beating Troy Aikman's previous franchise record of 165.

Dallas beat Cincinnati 20-19 in Week 14 after trailing the Cincinnati Bengals 19–10 with 6:35 left. Romo to Bryant was the fourth quarter's comeback, with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Bryant and Bailey's last-second 40-yard field goal. Romo went 25-for-43 for 268 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Dallas defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–24 in overtime on Week 15, snaping a three-game winning streak and winning its fifth out of six games. Dallas placed the victory in a three-way tie with New York and Washington in the NFC East, putting the two teams in a three-way tie. With 30-for-42 passing for 341 yards and two touchdowns, Romo surpassed 25,000 yards passing yards in this game.

Dallas finished 2012 with an 8–8 record and missed out on the playoffs for the third straight season after losing the last two games. Dallas lost to the New Orleans Saints 37-34 in overtime on Week 16 (December 23), despite Romo's four touchdown passes and 416 passing yards (on 26-for-43 passing). In Week 17 of the NFC East championship, Dallas and the Washington Redskins met in a match where Dallas lost 28–18. Romo threw a total of three interceptions, including on Dallas' first two drives, with overall 20-for-37 passing. Romo converted to Kevin Ogletree and down 21-20 for a touchdown pass to Dwayne Harris with 5:50 to go and down 21-20. Romo threw an interceptor against Redskins linebacker Rob Jackson after Dallas took over 21-18 with 3:33 left down 21-18, and Washington clinched the victory with another touchdown.

Following the season, Romo's future was put into doubt. "Tony Romo has one year remaining on his deal, but the time has come for him to move forward" in April, 2013. Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram stated, "He has a few good years left, but at this point he does not have to go to another team that needs a quarterback." Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News also said Romo is "not wired to win the last game of the season," especially "if it means prolonging the season." Romo's "record starts to be extremely difficult to defend" due to "the fact that he has only won one playoff game in his entire career," ESPNDallas.com's Dan Graziano said.

Romo has been signed to a 6-year contract worth $108 million, with $55 million guaranteed and $25 million in bonuses, securing him for the remainder of his career and reducing the pressure from the salary ceiling, which was previously estimated to have less than $25,000 square footage before the team was struck. He underwent back surgery to eliminate a cyst in the middle of April 2013. Despite the fact that it was branded as a minor procedure by the staff, he would have missed all of the mini-camp and team activities.

Romo began the season with a victory over the New York Giants, who passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He came back from the game with a rib injury but finished the game after halftime. Romo had thrown for 27,485 yards, the most by a quarterback in his first 100 starts since 1960.

With the Cowboys trailing in the fourth quarter and needing a victory to keep its playoff hopes alive, he led the team to a touchdown drive in Week 16, defeating the Washington Redskins after he was later identified as a season-ending disk injury. "He may have had his finest hour," Head Coach Jason Garrett later says. Somehow, someway, he played a part in the ball game."

Romo underwent back surgery on December 27, 2013 and was placed on the Cowboys' injured reserve list. Kyle Orton was named as the starting quarterback for the Week 17 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost 24–22 to miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

Romo and the Cowboys won six games in a row, including back-to-back road games against the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams after a disappointing showing in the season's opener 28–17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys also beat the Seattle Seahawks, defending champions, on the road, becoming only the second team to win a road game against the Seahawks in three seasons. Romo had a 13:3 touchdown:interception ratio after six victories. Romo went down with a back injury in Week 8, against the Washington Redskins, with his knee going into Romo's back. Romo had two fractures in his transverse process following the loss to Washington. He missed the next game, a 28–17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but the Cowboys bounced back and won their first divisional title since 2009.

Romo set a new personal record in a game with 90 percent on December 21, throwing 18 of his 20 passes in a 42-0 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on December 21, beating them 42-27. With 151.7, he also posted his personal best quarterback rating in a single game. Romo's 133.7 passer rating in the month of December was the highest in NFL history.

Romo led the Cowboys to a 24-20 victory over the Detroit Lions in the wild card round of the playoffs after being down 17–7 at halftime. Romo was 19-of-31 for 293 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Romo and the Cowboys were defeated by the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Romo was 15-of-19 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Romo led the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating en route to the NFC East Championship, and he was ranked 34th in the NFL's list of the top 100 players of 2015, the highest undrafted player on the year's list.

In the Cowboys' season opener against the New York Giants, Romo started strong in the 2015 season, throwing a game-winning pass to Jason Witten with seven seconds remaining. In a week 2 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, he continued to play, but he sustained a fractured left collarbone in the third quarter after being suspended by linebacker Jordan Hicks. Romo was sidelined by the injury, during which the Cowboys struggled to win a single game with Brandon Weeden and then Matt Cassel as starting quarterbacks.

In a week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins, Romo returned to the starting lineup. Despite throwing two interceptions, he completed 18 of 28 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–14 victory, snapping the Cowboys' seven-game losing streak.

In a week 12 Thanksgiving game, the Cowboys then played the 10–0 Carolina Panthers. Despite being up against an undefeated squad and holding only a 3–7 record, the Romo-led Cowboys were expected to win and had hopes for the playoffs in a weak NFC East division. Romo did intercept three interceptions in the first half, two of which were returned for touchdowns, giving the Panthers a 23-3-0 lead. Romo was fired by linebacker Thomas Davis, rejuring his left shoulder and ending his season at the end of the third quarter. After the Cowboys fell to 4-10, Romo remained on the active roster until December 21 before being put on injured reserve, effectively ending their playoff hopes.

Romo was unable to start in the 2016 regular season after suffering a compression fracture to the L1 vertebra in his back during the Cowboys' third preseason match against the Seattle Seahawks. Dak Prescott, the team's starting quarterback, was forced to miss the first ten games of the season.

Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones initially expected Romo to return as a starter, Prescott's play with the team and the length of Romo's injury led to Jones reconsidering his decision. Romo relinquished his position as the Cowboys' starting quarterback to Prescott and began serving as the Cowboys' backup after Prescott led the team to an eight-game winning streak. Romo made his season debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in January 1, 2017. He toss a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams during Mark Sanchez's last game of his career before the rest of the game was played.

Romo announced his release from football on April 4, 2017. He was released by the Cowboys after announcing his retirement. Following Mark Cuban's retirement, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban declared that Romo would be a "Maverick for a day" for the Mavericks' final home game of the 2016-17 season. He served with the team and sat in full uniform on the bench but did not participate in the game and wasn't deemed an official member of the roster.

Broadcasting career

Following his release from football, Jim Nantz was recruited by CBS Sports to serve as the lead color analyst for the network's NFL telecasts, as well as play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, replacing Phil Simms, who was moved to The NFL Today studio.

Although Romo's decision to retire and move onto broadcasting, several commentators questioned him about being placed immediately before broadcasting veterans Dan Fouts, Trent Green, or Rich Gannon, all of whom served in the number 2 to four positions respectively for CBS, with Fouts once being the color commentator on Monday Night Football. None of the ex-players and coaches on other networks at the time of Romo's recruitment (Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, and Jon Gruden) began their broadcasting careers in the lead position. Romo jokingly asked Romo, "How does the seat feel?" smockily asked. During Week One of The NFL Today, Chris Johnson contributed to Week 1.

Romo received acclaim for his work as a new ex-player, especially for his ability to anticipate offensive plays and read defensive formations from the booth, as well as "adding enthusiasm that had been lacking with Simms" as the 2017 NFL season began.

"Nantz consistently set Romo up to make his predictions and analysis before the snap," some Chiefs head coach "Andy Reid might have used Romo on his defensive staff" because the Patriots knew just about every play the Patriots were going to run down the stretch." According to The Guardian, Romo's "beauty of Romo's review is that it seems that he's in on the fun with you." In Atlanta, Romo and Nantz called Super Bowl LIII.

The New Yorker has dubbed him a "genius of football commentary." Other well-known sports commentators, including Bob Costas and Dick Vitale, have lauded Romo.

Romo continued his deal with CBS until at least 2022 in February 2020, making Romo one of the highest-paid sports analysts in television history and "the highest-paid NFL analyst in history."

Romo filled the void left by Jon Gruden in Corona's "Corona Hotline" commercials in 2018. Romo has remained in his series of advertisements, and many of the television commercial spots feature his fantasy football advice.

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