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When CBS Sports signed Tony Romo to a 10-year, $180 million contract in 2020, a top sports media executive called me immediately after and said, “This is the worst contract in media history.”
It may end up being just that.
CBS has called a timeout on the deal following Romo’s arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Following the arrest has been a steady drip of new information, including 45 minutes’ worth of multi-angle video of the traffic stop, including a citation for an open container of alcohol that contradicted Romo saying he had no drinks.
The network decided to press pause on Romo, announcing he “is on leave from his role at CBS until further notice.” They elevated J.J. Watt to team with Jim Nantz in the network’s No. 1 NFL booth. CBS offered no further comment.
Romo’s contract calls for him to receive a nearly implausible $72 million over the next four years, but he is going to have to make quite a case to get his top job back.
It’s not impossible, but it is going to take some work.
CBS clearly does not want the cloud of his recent arrest to shade its most important property, the NFL. In less than two weeks, it has its NFL seminar for on-air talent and production staff, which includes a session in front of the media. Romo was supposed to be there.
On Sept. 13th, CBS’s first Sunday of the regular season, its premier matchup is between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. Romo was supposed to be there.
On Sept. 21th, Romo’s court case in Wisconsin is scheduled.
On Sept. 27, CBS’ late-afternoon, marquee game is from Brazil between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. Romo was supposed to be there.
Right now, CBS doesn’t want Romo any of these places.
Romo could still make a comeback, but he is going to have to put in a lot of work, both off- and on-air. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
If he misses the first month of the season, when does he return? How does he return? With CBS slated to air a Super Bowl in February 2028, would he have any chance then? His poor performance in recent seasons is a factor here.
Romo comes across as a very affable guy and a number of people have described him to me over the years as a “big kid.” But he is not known as a hard worker, and it has shown on the air.
Prior to his massive new deal, Nantz and Romo were welcoming comparisons to Pat Summerall and John Madden. Since then, the duo has regressed and Romo often sounded unprepared, saying odd things.
Last January, the higher-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars were at home to face the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, and Romo appeared on the pregame show. During his TV hit, he said of the Jaguars, “I’m telling you, they can win this game today.” It made social media waves as a vacuous thing to say because, of course, the higher-seeded, home-field-advantaged NFL playoff team could win.
The Bills needed a late touchdown from Josh Allen to be victorious, but that’s not the point.
Like all on-air TV contracts, Romo’s deal includes a morals clause, and networks can challenge if a star can still represent their brand in a positive fashion after a public embarrassment.
If Romo were still working at a Madden-like level, his case to keep his job would be stronger. Since he was already trending the wrong way, he has some work to do.
Networks build their marketing campaigns around their top crews. If every time Romo says something off, there is a GIF referring to a portion of his arrest video, is that a problem for CBS?
Could he return on the No. 2 crew with Ian Eagle or could CBS tell him he has to go even further down the lineup, perhaps to convince him to walk away? Appearing in the studio could become an option, but that might be too out front for CBS.
Six years ago, one of the reasons that then CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus and president David Berson signed Romo to the crazy contract right before the pandemic was because ESPN was in hot pursuit. Before ESPN eventually landed Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox, its “Monday Night Football” booths were consistently a hot mess.
In 2020, CBS outbid ESPN in part because the overall negotiation for rights to the game packages was about to begin. At that time, prior to COVID, there was some thought inside Disney to potentially not only keep “Monday Night Football” on ESPN, but go after CBS’ Sunday afternoon package for ABC. Going into the negotiation with Romo on CBS’ side instead of on Disney’s roster was considered a boon to the Tiffany Network.
Now? Not so much.
That is why we are here, staring at what might be the worst contract in sports media TV history. Romo could still make a comeback, but he is going to have to put in a lot of work, both off- and on-air.
But if he is not welcomed back, there is no way he is going to just give up the $72 million he is owed. Romo’s deal may indeed end up the worst in sports media history.
At this point, he and CBS are both going to need quite a comeback to avoid that fate.
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