NFL Rumors: Jacksonville Jaguars in on Tony Romo?
Tony Romo will not lack options when he’s inevitably available, but a surprising team has now surfaced.
Despite owner Jerry Jones still not closing the door on keeping him, Tony Romo is in his last few days as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. An outright release is the most likely move, with a likely wink-nod agreement that Romo won’t sign with one of the Cowboys’ division rivals at minimum, but a trade is theoretically possible.
The usual suspects of potential Romo suitors will remain at the forefront this week. The Denver Broncos and Houston Texans are atop that list, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs and a few other teams that have been mentioned to some degree. But a team not previously thought of has apparently surfaced during the NFL Combine.
According to ESPN Dallas’ Todd Archer, Romo’s future has been a hot question over the last few days in Indianapolis. In those “private discussions” with executives and coaches, the Jacksonville Jaguars were added to the list of potential suitors for Romo. But how realistic could their potential interest be?
As of right now, via Spotrac, the Jaguars have the third-most salary cap space in the league (approximately $74.5 million). So, at least in theory, Romo’s current $24.7 million salary cap hit for this year would be easily absorbed.
The Jaguars also have a big question at quarterback. Blake Bortles regressed big-time last season, after what looked like a breakout 2015 campaign, and the team has to make a decision on his fifth-year option for 2018 by early May. Adding immediate competition for Bortles has seemed unlikely to this point, but the Jaguars do have some options if they want to go that direction.
Tom Coughlin coming back to Jacksonville as a front office executive may be raising the internal expectations for the team, so everything could be on the table during free agency and the draft. An early reflection of a new urgency is a trade with the Miami Dolphins for veteran offensive tackle Branden Albert, once that move can become official later this week.
The Jaguars were thought to be a team on the rise heading into 2016, but on the way to a 3-13 record Gus Bradley got fired as head coach before the season ended. The AFC South is still mediocre overall, so better quarterback play to go with solid talent elsewhere can put Jacksonville in the mix for a division title.
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Romo’s age and recent injury history are the obvious questions surrounding him, but if healthy he’s an upgrade for a lot of teams. The Jaguars are unlikely to be one of his preferred destinations, but there are some positive selling points that could change that.