When Tony Romo started his broadcasting career with CBS in 2017, he quickly became a fan favorite. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback built a reputation for his unique ability to read offenses from the booth, often predicting plays before they even happened. His fresh approach felt like a revolution in sports commentary.
Over time, however, public opinion has soured. Many viewers now accuse Romo of bias and have grown tired of his over-the-top analysis. This shift in perception recently led one analyst to call Romo’s massive contract extension with CBS “one of the worst decisions in sports media.”
Why Does Tony Romo’s Record CBS Contract Look Like a Mistake?
After a strong start to his broadcasting career, CBS rewarded Tony Romo with a record 10-year, $180 million deal in 2020. At the time, it seemed like a smart investment, as he was one of the most popular voices in the sport.
Five years later, the reception has changed. Romo has become one of the most criticized broadcasters among NFL fans. Viewers have grown frustrated with the odd noises he makes during games instead of breaking down plays. Additionally, many believe he is consistently too complimentary of the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who entered the week ranked 11th in PFSN’s QB Impact metrics.
Despite the negative perception surrounding him, Romo remains under contract with CBS through 2030. The sheer size of the deal makes any potential change difficult for the network. With a growing number of NFL fans no longer wanting to hear Romo in the booth, Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann recently argued that, in hindsight, the contract stands as one of the worst decisions in sports broadcasting history.
“The network rewarded him with a 10-year, $180 million contract in 2020, making him the highest-paid NFL analyst in television history,” Neumann wrote. “Five years later, that contract looks like one of the worst decisions in sports media.”
Neumann highlighted a recent example from Romo’s call of the Week 11 matchup between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. During the game, Chiefs offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia was flagged for illegal use of hands to the face against Broncos defensive lineman Malcom Roach.
Rather than breaking down the penalty’s impact, Romo narrated the moment from Suamataia’s perspective in a strange voice that left many viewers confused. Neumann explained that moments like this are exactly what fans have grown tired of in recent seasons.
“‘Hey, that helmet. Take your helmet off. Give it to me. Give it to me. There you go, thank ya. Yeah, you can’t do that. That’s not allowed,’ Romo said on the replay, doing voices for both players as if he were narrating a children’s cartoon instead of analyzing a 10-yard penalty in a critical AFC West game,” Neumann wrote. He continued, “It’s the kind of call that would’ve been quirky and endearing in 2017 when Romo was predicting plays before they happened and revolutionizing NFL analysis.”
Ultimately, it’s hard to fault CBS for giving Romo his massive deal in 2020. A top-tier broadcast team can provide a network a real advantage in viewership, and at the time, Romo was someone nearly every NFL fan wanted to hear.
Looking back, though, Neumann has a point. The contract has left CBS tied to Romo for the next five seasons. This situation has seemingly damaged the network’s reputation with a significant portion of NFL fans for the foreseeable future.