Tony Romo was arrested on July 23 on suspicion of operating while intoxicated (OWI) in Milwaukee, and CBS placed him on indefinite leave eight days later.
With four years and $72 million still remaining on his contract and a morals clause that could give the network a legal exit, speculation over Romo’s replacement has already begun.
Greg Olsen Floated As Tony Romo’s Potential Replacement
Romo’s arrest has given CBS what many in the industry believe is the off-ramp the network has quietly wanted for years. Officers reportedly found an open container in Romo’s vehicle, and then the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s bodycam footage of his field sobriety test went viral.
His court appearance is scheduled for September 21, which will be after the NFL season has already kicked off. CBS moved quickly to fix the situation and elevated NFL legend J.J. Watt from the No. 2 team to work alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson for the time being.
Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder, in a prediction piece analyzing next season’s top broadcast booths, floated three-time Pro Bowler and current Fox analyst Greg Olsen as the leading candidate to permanently fill Romo’s seat alongside Nantz.
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“Greg Olsen has made no secret of his desire to be a lead analyst once again. And wouldn’t you know his Fox contract is coming up just when the NFL’s other Sunday afternoon broadcaster is experiencing a crisis at their lead analyst spot,” Yoder wrote in his article.
“While the future of Tony Romo is certainly up in the air, he’s not returning to his lead spot alongside Jim Nantz,” Yoder added. “CBS made that clear when they announced J.J. Watt would move up to the number two team in the wake of Romo’s indefinite leave/suspension.
“Watt has all the tools to impress and win the job permanently. However, CBS also has a very slim depth chart when it comes to top-level NFL analysts who you would expect to hear calling playoff games.”
“Signing Olsen would be welcomed by NFL fans, happy to see him restored to the spot that was taken away and back in the Super Bowl rotation,” Yoder continued. “And Watt could then be paired back up with Ian Eagle in the second broadcast team to bring back their popular duo, leaving CBS with a 1 and 1A setup that would be arguably the best in the business.”
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Romo joined CBS in 2017 as one of the most exciting broadcasting hires in recent memory. He replaced Phil Simms and earned widespread praise for his ability to predict plays in real time. His early seasons alongside Nantz were widely regarded as the best analyst work on network television.
However, the quality steadily slipped, and fans as well as analysts on social media have often called out his strange phrasing and declining energy. In 2023, CBS reportedly held an intervention to address the criticism.
Now CBS has both the motive and, through the morals clause, a potential mechanism to part ways without paying the remaining $72 million on Romo’s contract.
If that happens, Olsen represents arguably the best upgrade available, as he is a proven lead analyst who was widely considered the best in the business before Tom Brady’s $375 million deal pushed him aside at Fox.
