National Football League

Here's why Tony Romo might not be done as the Cowboys' starting QB

Published Dec. 9, 2016 1:00 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

On Tuesday, Tony Romo showed true class by ending the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback controversy.

The Cowboys' longtime former starter, whose back injury prevented him from playing to start this season and who in turn lost his job to rookie sensation Dak Prescott, delivered a heartfelt speech in which he made it clear that both the present and the future belong to Prescott.

So case closed, right? Romo will help the rookie from the bench, and Prescott will try to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl. Yet Skip Bayless isn't convinced we've seen the end of Romo in Dallas, as he argued Wednesday on FS1's "Undisputed."

After praising the 13-year veteran for his maturity and leadership, Bayless pointed out that nothing is certain when it comes to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

"I respect [Romo], I get that he still has a future somewhere else in this league, but I'm going to tell you what my fear is. I'm going to stand by my guns on this. The reason I can't have all that much sympathy for Tony: I still believe, with all my heart and soul, that Dak Prescott is one bad rookie game away — this Sunday, if they have a disaster at Jerry World against a suddenly resurgent Baltimore team with a tough front seven — I believe Tony Romo will return to be the starting quarterback the following Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, which was the last time he actually started a game, and this would be at Jerry World against the archrival Washington Redskins.

"I'm going to say it again — it was no small thing to me that this past Saturday, Tony Romo accompanied Jerry Jones to watch Jerry's grandson play football ... while the team was flying, obviously, to Pittsburgh. ... That's no small thing to me. That's how close these two are. And as you keep pointing out, and I have brought up many times on this show, just a week ago, Jerry Jones spoke about how he would have a regret if he did not win a Super Bowl with Tony Romo as his quarterback.

"Well, now it's silver platter, handing it to Tony Romo. So I get where Tony is, I appreciate he tried not to be a distraction on an off-day, on Tuesday ... but in the end, I still think he has a future as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback."