Stephen Jones: Jerry and Romo will work something out

[h=1]Stephen Jones: Jerry and Romo will work something out[/h] Posted by Michael David Smith on January 21, 2017, 9:14 AM EST

Stephen Jones has a big role in the operations of the Cowboys, but when it comes to the biggest decision the team will make this offseason — what to do with Tony Romo — Stephen knows that his father is still the owner and G.M.

Asked on KRLD-FM about Romo’s future, Stephen Jones answered, “You got the wrong guy on the phone right now.”

In other words, it’s going to be Jerry Jones who makes that call.

So how will it be worked out? Stephen Jones said he thinks his dad and Romo can come up with something that suits everyone’s interests.

“I’m sure as we move forward, obviously, there’s two really important people in this mix,” Stephen Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “First and foremost will be Jerry and then, of course, Tony. I read where Jason said his wish is that Tony, whatever happens here, is happy. I’m sure most people feel that way. At the same time, we all know we’re in a business. It’s something here that will be, obviously, handled with, if you will, kid gloves. And something that we’ll work through and when we’re ready to have any comments about it, I know Jerry and Tony will be the ones to do that.”

Romo has lost his starting job to Dak Prescott, and there’s no getting it back. And there’s no way the Cowboys are going to keep a backup with a cap hit of more than $24 million in 2017. So the only question is whether Jones can find a team willing to trade for an old, injured, expensive quarterback, or whether Jones will release Romo. That’s something the two of them may work out between now and the start of the new league year, which is less than two months away.

To me it seems like Romo is the last vestige of the past that Jerry holds on to.

The vast majority of the roster has been built since Jerry has, in many ways, been phased out of the decision making process. Sure, he's still involved, but I think anybody who follows this team closely has seen a pretty dramatic shift over the last 3-4 years. You still get a few Jerry decisions here and there like the Hardy signing but there is no way this guy was the driving force behind signings like Terrell McClain or Benson Mayowa, or picks like Maliek Collins and Anthony Brown.

By and large it seems that the real braintrust (I'm guessing it's Stephen/McClay/Garrett primarily) coddles Jerry and let's him feel like he's involved, but he's not really the one making decisions. With Romo it's different, and it seems that's one of the last few things Jerry holds onto because of the emotional investment he's made in Romo, and of course the high-profile nature of the decision.

I have no doubt that Jerry will be the one making the ultimate call on Romo, and it will probably be a straight release with the understanding that he won't go to any direct competitors in the NFC. It will be a mistake, because that's what Jerry does, but I have faith in the front office otherwise.

Let's just hope they are willing to re-invest the savings of cutting Romo.

I agree that Jerry will make the final determination on Romo but the primary reason he will is because of the dollar amount involved in this particular personnel transaction. No one else in the organization probably has the authority to deal with this amount. I know if it were me and I owned the team I would reserve this size deal to my final say so. The driving force on this circumstance is money not sentiment.

L.T. Fan said:

I agree that Jerry will make the final determination on Romo but the primary reason he will is because of the dollar amount involved in this particular personnel transaction. No one else in the organization probably has the authority to deal with this amount. I know if it were me and I owned the team I would reserve this size deal to my final say so. The driving force on this circumstance is money not sentiment.

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I love how you try to compare how the Cowboys are ran to how some moderate sized business is ran. Any money spent on Romo to date is already a sunk cost and has already been expended. As far as I know if he's cut or traded the Cowboys don't have to pay him a single dime, the cap hits moving forward are based on guaranteed money that was paid in the past that have been prorated over the life of the contract.

The only decision that would actually require cash flow moving forward would be if they keep him, which seems to be quite unlikely at this point.

Jerry wanting to have final say on what happens with Romo has nothing to do with money and everything to do with his emotional attachment to Romo, as well as the publicity that the decision will generate.

This isn't your local HR company that needs the regional director to sign off on a $500,000 contract.

Simpleton said:

I love how you try to compare how the Cowboys are ran to how some moderate sized business is ran. Any money spent on Romo to date is already a sunk cost and has already been expended. As far as I know if he's cut or traded the Cowboys don't have to pay him a single dime, the cap hits moving forward are based on guaranteed money that was paid in the past that have been prorated over the life of the contract.

The only decision that would actually require cash flow moving forward would be if they keep him, which seems to be quite unlikely at this point.

Jerry wanting to have final say on what happens with Romo has nothing to do with money and everything to do with his emotional attachment to Romo, as well as the publicity that the decision will generate.

This isn't your local HR company that needs the regional director to sign off on a $500,000 contract.

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I'm sure there is more than one scenario to consider when it comes to the disposition of Romo. Financial considerations will be attached to each. I don't know all of the considerations nor do I pretend that I do but I have a pretty strong feeling that Jerry Jones will consider them in his decision.

Simpleton said:

To me it seems like Romo is the last vestige of the past that Jerry holds on to.

The vast majority of the roster has been built since Jerry has, in many ways, been phased out of the decision making process. Sure, he's still involved, but I think anybody who follows this team closely has seen a pretty dramatic shift over the last 3-4 years. You still get a few Jerry decisions here and there like the Hardy signing but there is no way this guy was the driving force behind signings like Terrell McClain or Benson Mayowa, or picks like Maliek Collins and Anthony Brown.

By and large it seems that the real braintrust (I'm guessing it's Stephen/McClay/Garrett primarily) coddles Jerry and let's him feel like he's involved, but he's not really the one making decisions. With Romo it's different, and it seems that's one of the last few things Jerry holds onto because of the emotional investment he's made in Romo, and of course the high-profile nature of the decision.

I have no doubt that Jerry will be the one making the ultimate call on Romo, and it will probably be a straight release with the understanding that he won't go to any direct competitors in the NFC. It will be a mistake, because that's what Jerry does, but I have faith in the front office otherwise.

Let's just hope they are willing to re-invest the savings of cutting Romo.

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I think Jerry is much more involved than we likr, but I also think its getting to a point where Jerry is more like that drunk uncle that shows up at Christmas every year. You put up with him for a night or two, trying to keep the rest of the family distracted so they won't see how obnoxious and drunk the guy is.

For Stephen and McClay, that time with Jerry is the draft. They steer him around, let him make phone calls and throw up roadblocks to his pet picks.

UncleMilti said:

I think Jerry is much more involved than we likr, but I also think its getting to a point where Jerry is more like that drunk uncle that shows up at Christmas every year. You put up with him for a night or two, trying to keep the rest of the family distracted so they won't see how obnoxious and drunk the guy is.

For Stephen and McClay, that time with Jerry is the draft. They steer him around, let him make phone calls and throw up roadblocks to his pet picks.

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Unk. You own a business. Does your employees just put up with you? What if they decide you are no longer needed?

L.T. Fan said:

Unk. You own a business. Does your employees just put up with you? What if they decide you are no longer needed?

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boozeman said:

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