As Tony Romo enters the final season of the six-year, $67.4 million contract he signed in late 2007, the Dallas Cowboys don't plan to let their starting quarterback get away.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday the team will pursue a long-term contract extension with Romo because he's still viewed as the central cog in their effort to win a Super Bowl, per Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
"Tony is a key piece of what we're about going forward," Jones said. "We're certainly going to be looking at his situation (in) time. We've historically (extended contracts) with quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys ahead of time. We did it with Troy (Aikman) and we certainly want to look at that with Tony so we can all move forward in terms of how we want to play around our salary cap with our team. Tony is the key piece in terms of how your cap is represented."
This has a lot to do with the rough salary-cap situation in Dallas. Romo is scheduled to make $11.5 million next season, and his $16.8 million cap hit is the highest of any player on the roster. The Cowboys are $20 million in the red and have until March 12 to wipe that deficit off the board. Extending Romo's contract would help do the trick, and Jones expressed confidence a deal can be crafted.
"I don't feel pressed," Jones said. "I don't think we've ever felt pressed with Tony. He's been a great partner. As I said, your quarterback, even when you have a good one and we're certainly lucky to have one of the best, is going to represent a good piece of your salary cap. How you manage that is important. He understands that and we do, too."
Watkins pointed to a three- to five-year contract at a friendly $12 million per year as the most likely scenario for Romo, who turns 33 in April and finished as the 10th-ranked passer in the NFL in 2012. The lack of Lombardi trophies during Romo's reign certainly prevents him from entering Joe Flacco Land on the contract front.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.