Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys reportedly will release Tony Romo on Thursday
Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys reportedly will release Tony Romo on Thursday

Published Mar. 8, 2017 9:24 p.m. ET

The Cowboys will release Tony Romo on Thursday, according to multiple reports, ending the 36-year-old quarterback's 13-year career in Dallas and freeing him to regain a starting job with a new team.

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Romo's future has arguably been the NFL's most dominant story line since he suffered a preseason injury last August and lost his starting job to rookie Dak Prescott, who led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the NFC East title. While owner Jerry Jones has remained steadfast in his support, saying he believes Romo still can win a Super Bowl for the Cowboys, Prescott's emergence as a star and Romo's $24.7 million cap hit next season made it all but assured that the Cowboys would part ways with their longtime QB. And on Wednesday, free-agent backup (and Texas native) Josh McCown reportedly visited the team.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reports that Dallas will spread Romo's remaining $19.7 million cap hit over the next two seasons, however that would mean he'd stay on the books until June 2, and the Cowboys wouldn't gain the $5 million or so in cap space until then.

Romo will leave the Cowboys as the franchise leader in passing yards (34,183) and touchdown passes (248). But he could never match the postseason success of Hall of Famers and multiple Super Bowl winners Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. The four-time Pro Bowler went 2-4 in the playoffs, never winning on the road or reaching the NFC championship game.

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Though Jones said he hadn't made a decision on Romo last week at the NFL Draft Combine, he said he'd spoken to him and they'd make a decision that would benefit both him and the team. So with Romo set to be a free agent and several QB-needy teams expected to pursue him, the reports out of Dallas are that it's unlikely he'll join one of the Cowboys' rivals. The Broncos and Texans are among the teams reportedly interested, and Colin Cowherd ranked his top 10 destinations:



The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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