Tony Romo is about to seriously get paid for his gridiron acumen and he won’t even have to put on pads to do it. Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand broke the news on Twitter late last week.
BREAKING: CBS signs Tony Romo to a long-term deal, sources tell me.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) February 29, 2020
The New York Post reported Friday that Romo’s multi-million dollar deal prevented him “from entering free agency” as an announcer.
Here’s more from the Post:
Romo’s new contract with CBS will pay him around $17 million per season, which is more than double the previous NFL high of $8 million per year that John Madden received more than two decades ago.
Even when adjusted for inflation — which would make Madden’s number $14 million — Romo still is the highest paid ever.
The deal is even sweeter than it seems, as sources told the New York paper that Romo will be on the hook for more than five years, making the total contract worth more than $100 million. In his 14-season NFL career as a quarterback, Romo reportedly pulled in a total of $127 million and only made in excess of $17 million in three seasons with the Cowboys.
While CBS was looking to head ESPN off at the pass by securing Romo for years to come, the sports network reportedly never got as far as talking money, according to more than one report.
.@espn was clearly interested in #tonyromo but because window wasn’t open, never made offer. Sources there say they would not have gotten close to $17/year.
— james andrew miller (@JimMiller) February 29, 2020
The Post reported that their sources indicated ESPN “has alternative plans as to how it may remodel its ‘Monday Night Football’ booth,” likely making a call “to Peyton Manning, asking if this is finally the year he wants to try to be an analyst.”
So Romo—nicknamed “Romostradamus” for his often uncannily accurate predictions regarding upcoming plays on the field—looks set to be the voice of Thursday Night Football for years to come.
We’re pretty sure it was looking back on his brilliant play-by-play during a 2017 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins of a random housecat’s antics on the field that sealed the deal.