Broadcaster Tony Romo quickly has become a bigger star than football player Tony Romo ever was.
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, CBS hopes to extend Romo’s contract before it expires after the 2019 season. The three-year deal reportedly pays Romo roughly $4 million per year.
For Romo, the next contract is important. The contract after that is critical.
With the deal for Monday Night Football expiring after the 2021 season and all other broadcasting agreements up after 2022, Romo would be wise to commit for only two years beyond his current deal, giving himself the flexibility to jump to MNF along with the ability to commit to a one-year Band-Aid that would let him figure out his next move after 2022, based on where the various rights land.
However it shakes out, Romo has secured for himself a seat at the NFL’s broadcasting head table, and he’ll be arguably the most coveted analyst if/when the Wheel of Networks spins again. Still south of 40, Romo can do what he’s now doing for 30 years or more, which means he’ll earn far more money in the booth than he ever earned on the field.
Which means that, in time, a generation of kids will recognize Romo as a broadcaster only, never realizing that he was a football player.