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Report: Orton left Dallas due to bad relationship with Romo

Published Oct. 1, 2014 11:31 p.m. ET

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Did Tony Romo drive away Kyle Orton?

That's what one report suggests - that Orton's poor relationship with Romo was a reason he wanted out of his contract with the Cowboys last off-season.

The report, tweeted by ESPN's Ed Werder, also said Orton was tired of the power struggle over the offense in Dallas. That's a multi-pronged issue that seems to have resolved itself with the Cowboys' 3-1 record and the offense, including Romo, humming along nicely.

But the juicy part of the tweet is the reported sour relationship between Orton and Romo. Werder didn't attribute the information and nothing has come from either quarterback about the issue.

However, it was noteworthy that Romo dodged questions about Orton while his backup was sitting out off-season workouts.

Orton signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract to be Romo's backup before the 2012 season. Two years in, Orton apparently wanted out of the deal. The Cowboys wound up releasing Orton, which allowed him to keep all of his signing bonus, and Orton later signed with the Bills.

Orton has been named Buffalo's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Lions, replacing E.J. Manuel.

It's doubtful that there was any friction between Orton and Romo over the starting job, since Orton came in with the understanding the Romo was the guy from day one. If Orton had any designs on becoming the Cowboys' starter, he never voiced them publicly. In fact, he seemed content in a backup role after having been through the wringer as a starter in Denver and Chicago.

In Denver, Orton reportedly had a poor relationship with his backup, Tim Tebow. Orton was eventually benched in favor of Tebow.

As for the offensive power struggle, it's been no secret that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones forced head coach Jason Garrett to hand over play-calling duties to offensive line coach Bill Callahan last season.

Garrett didn't appear to like the arrangement and appeared to have returned to calling plays by the end of the season.

Before this season, Garrett was allowed to bring in a hand-picked play-caller in Scott Linehan, with whom he had previously worked. That arrangement appears to be working well, juding by both on-field results and sideline demeanor.

Now, if you want to include Romo in the offensive power struggle - Romo has been known to have his own ideas about play-calling - well, know you're back to that whole relationship thing.

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire

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