One of the biggest free agents this offseason won’t be in a uniform. Tony Romo’s contract with CBS is coming up and Mike McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports ESPN is planning to make a huge effort to sign the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback:
ESPN is preparing an offer that would make Tony Romo the highest-paid sportscaster in TV history, with a multi-year deal that would pay him between $10 million to $14 million annually, said sources.
ESPN declined to comment. A representative for Romo could not be reached for comment.
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If ESPN would land Romo, Front Office Sports sources suggest he could succeed Booger McFarland as the analyst on “Monday Night Football.”
Romo could also potentially quarterback ESPN’s NFL game coverage if parent Disney acquires a Sunday afternoon game package from rival FOX Sports, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports during the next round of NFL TV negotiations in 2020-2021.
No deal has been signed yet, and one source said any negotiation for a new contract for Romo might not wrap up until a month or two after Super Bowl 54.
CBS also has a right to match any offers for Romo, according to sources.
The 39-year-old Romo makes about $4 million annually on the final year of his three-year rookie broadcasting deal. Troy Aikman, FOX’s top NFL game analyst, makes around $7.5 million per year.
Romo has been an instant hit in the TV booth, teamed with Jim Nantz on CBS’ lead broadcast pairing.
Meanwhile, the ESPN MNF team of McFarland and Joe Tessitore have been ridiculed over their two seasons. The ESPN team’s first season featured a three-person booth with Jason Witten, who returned to the field after an unsuccessful venture at broadcasting.