NFL Rumors: Tony Romo wants to play for Broncos in 2017

NFL Network is reporting that the Denver Broncos are Tony Romo’s number one choice for next season. However, the Broncos may not be inclined to trade for him.

The 2016 season has been an extremely difficult one for Tony Romo. He’s been plagued by injuries lately, but missed out on the chance to play before the season even started.

After going down in the preseason, Dak Prescott stole the starting job away from Romo and the rookie led the Dallas Cowboys to a 7-1 record before Romo was cleared to return. Even when Romo handed over the keys to Dak in a press conference, you could sense the somber tone in his voice. All told, he was limited to one drive this season, even though it resulted in a touchdown.

With the Cowboys reaching massive heights in Dak Prescott’s rookie year, the front office seems content to let him continue on as their quarterback of the future. But at the same time, they want to do right by Romo by letting him play for a team that can contend.

Trade destinations were swirling around Romo’s name all season long. The Denver Broncos were one of the leading contenders, and it seems as though Romo wants to play there as well:

But as Ian Rapoport details, the Broncos may not be willing to pull the trigger, while the Cowboys could still hold on to him for precautionary measures:

The Cowboys were lucky that Prescott played the way he did this season. Before they inserted him in the lineup, the team was scrambling for a backup quarterback. They would’ve gone with Kellen Moore instead, or newly acquired Mark Sanchez. As it stands, Romo is a great insurance option for the Cowboys if Prescott were to go down, since their QB depth is extremely thin beyond those two.

As for the Broncos, trading for Romo makes a lot of sense, since neither Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch demonstrated that they can be a future starting quarterback. But after seeing Romo deal with injuries for the last two seasons, you can understand why opposing GMs could be unwilling to pull the trigger on a deal.

Next: 5 potential trade destinations for Tony Romo

However, he’s an established starter, and in his, albeit, limited game action this season, he proved that he’s still capable of running an offense. Denver’s loaded defense would also help ease the pressure on Romo the way it did for Peyton Manning in his final season. And after missing the playoffs following their Super Bowl win, Romo might be the man who can lead them back to contention in 2017. If he’s willing to play, it could prove to be an amicable relationship.