So it was, on April 4, 2017, Tony Romo traded his shoulder pads for a CBS suit jacket and microphone.
(No one's used that yet, right?)
Romo's decision to retire dominated headlines Tuesday. But now that that is apparently resolved -- the quarterback himself didn't completely rule out the possibility of a return to the field during a conference call Tuesday -- all we have left to sort out is what those two lead contenders for the veteran will do at quarterback, and think about what could have been.
Denver has Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, and GM John Elway has said all is fine and dandy under center in Colorado. Houston has Tom Savage, whom Bill O'Brien is "real excited" to work with, and Brandon Weeden, who is, well, much less exciting.
Now that it's not going to happen, was Romo in Battle Red and Deep Steel Blue (their colors, not mine) ever a real possiblity?
"There were many reasons basically that I felt this is the right decision," Romo said when asked about the role a move to Houston played in his career contemplation. "It really had nothing to do with the Texans. It had everything to do with CBS and the team that they have. The ability to work alongside of Jim Nantz, just knowing what I wanted to do the next 15, 20, 30 years. I really felt it as though was the right decision at the right time. I'm really excited about a new challenge ahead."
Cozy seat next to Jim Nantz greater than dropping back to pass at 37 years old with a lengthy injury history? Seems like the decision to retire made sense to Romo.
"I would love to pretend that I'm the GM for the Houston Texans," Romo told reporters when asked about what the Texans should do at quarterback. "But since I'm not, I'm gonna let you guys (handle) that question. I'm just trying to make the best decision possible for me and my family. Obviously Houston was at the top of the list of teams that I looked at."
So there it is, Houston. While you watch O'Brien scowl on the sideline with Savage under center in 2017 and Nantz greet his hundreds of thousands of television-audience friends with Romo grinning alongside him, try not to think about Romo's theoretical list, and how "Texans" was scrawled across the top of it.
