Report: Romo Agrees to Record-Breaking NFL Analyst Deal With CBS
Tony Romo isn't going anywhere. The former Cowboys QB has agreed to a new contract with CBS, making him the highest-paid NFL analyst in TV history, according to the New York Post's Andrew Marchand. CBS Sports communications confirmed the report.
Per Marchand, the multi-year deal will pay Romo around $17 million per season and be worth more than $100 million total. The Athletic's Richard Deitsch reported that Romo's new deal extends past the 2022 season.
"I am ecstatic times 10," Romo's CBS partner Jim Nantz said, per Deitsch.
The deal comes as Romo's representatives and CBS were at the end of their exclusive negotiating period. Had CBS not agreed to a new deal by the end of this week, the former NFL quarterback could have spoken with other networks, reports Marchand.
Romo made over $3 million last season—the final year of his initial three-year TV contract with CBS.
In January, Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy reported that ESPN was preparing to offer Romo a deal that would have paid between $10 and $14 million annually. Marchand reported Friday night that CBS had "reason to believe" that ESPN's offer could have been more than $20 million annually.
The Post adds that Romo’s original contract dictated that he had to tell CBS his desired asking price on a second contract before hitting the open market on a new agreement. That $100-plus million figure was enough to block ESPN, per Marchand.
CBS altered its top booth for Romo's arrival, something that network executives at FOX and ESPN were reportedly not ready to do when the former Cowboys QB was deciding on where he wanted to start his broadcasting career.
Romo starred almost immediately upon transitioning from the field to the booth, arguably calling his best game in the 2019 AFC Championship, when he predicted countless plays before they transpired on the field.
Before returning to the Oakland Raiders, Jon Gruden earned over $6 million a year from ESPN to call Monday Night Football. During the early 1990s, John Madden made $8 million a year.
Romo started 156 regular-season games over the course of his 13-year career with the Cowboys. He ended his career with a 78-49 regular-season record and a 2-4 record in the playoffs.