Tony Romo Is A Free Agent

It was breaking news Friday Afternoon. Tony Romo and CBS Sports have “mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement Friday. The announcement comes just over two months after Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) in Milwaukee.

Romo was placed on indefinite leave shortly after the arrest, and his place on CBS’ No. 1 NFL broadcast team was taken by J.J. Watt. That arrangement will remain in place, CBS Sports said in Friday’s announcement.

“We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward,” the network said in its statement.

The 46-year-old Romo had four years and $72 million remaining on the 10-year, $180 million contract he signed with CBS in 2020. CBS Sports and Romo reached a financial settlement before Friday’s announcement, according to industry sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were private. The two sides avoided going to court, indicating that Romo will likely be paid a good portion of the remaining money he was owed.

Tony Romo and CBS Sports' Jim Nantz

Romo, who said in a statement Friday that he is “proud” of what he accomplished at CBS Sports, worked alongside Jim Nantz since 2017. The pair called three Super Bowls together, most recently in 2024, and Nantz had said he hoped the two would become the “modern-day version” of Pat Summerall and John Madden.

“I’m going to use this time to take a break, something I’ve never done before, and focus on my health and my family before moving on to my next opportunity,” Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, said in a statement released shortly after CBS’ announcement Friday. “I am grateful for my time with CBS Sports and for the continued support of my family and friends, as well as the NFL community and fans.”

Romo joined the network after retiring from the Cowboys in 2017 and immediately became the lead analyst in its top NFL booth alongside Jim Nantz.

His exit leaves open questions about CBS’s long-term plans for that booth. J.J. Watt’s contract ends after this season, as do the deals for ESPN’s lead color commentator Troy Aikman and Fox Sports’s Greg Olsen. Olsen, who called a Super Bowl with Kevin Burkhardt during Tom Brady’s gap year between playing and joining Fox, currently works on Fox’s No. 2 team alongside Joe Davis.