Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Reworking Romo's contract
By Tom Carpenter
The Dallas Cowboys have major cap issues as they head toward free agency and will have to address Tony Romo's contract if they are going to have any cap flexibility when the market opens. However, they still haven't taken up formal negotiations with Romo regarding a restructured or extended contract, according to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News.
“We have to have alternative plans,” VP Stephen Jones said. “We have them. They’re not as pleasant and he’s aware of it. He’s pretty aware of that. It’s pretty clear. When you have a great quarterback — and we’re fortunate to have one – they take up a significant amount of your cap space. Tony has been a great partner to us but he also understands it has ramifications in terms of what we can and can’t do with the cap.”
Romo has been willing to rework his contract in the past, but Jones hinted that Romo may want to test the free-agent waters next summer before committing to an extension with the Cowboys, which could make negotiations tricky at this time. ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins breaks down the numbers:
Calvin Watkins
Cowboys can franchise Anthony Spencer today
"The Cowboys have to lower Romo's cap figure, a team-high $16.8 million, for the 2013 season. Team executive vice president Stephen Jones said most quarterbacks will have the highest cap figure on NFL teams, but given the Cowboys cap issues, it's important to lower Romo's numbers so the team can possibly sign free agents, including Spencer. If the Cowboys don't lower Romo's cap number and allow him to finish the final year of his contract, the team will carry over $8.1 million in dead money after his deal voids following the 2013 season."
