Colin Cowherd suggests CBS executives may have resented Tony Romo after costly contract
On a podcast, FS1 host Colin Cowherd said CBS’s relationship with analyst Tony Romo may have soured after the network signed him to a ten-year, $180 million deal, and noted Romo’s recent leave following an arrest.
FS1 host Colin Cowherd told Ethan Strauss on the "House of Strauss" podcast that CBS’s ties with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-broadcaster Tony Romo could have been strained by the terms of his 2020 contract. The network placed Romo on leave after his arrest on suspicion of operating while intoxicated in Milwaukee, and J.J. Watt will fill his spot in the lead NFL booth alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.
Cowherd said Romo entered the 2020 negotiations with strong bargaining power, noting that the former player "squeezed them for every nickel" and secured a ten-year, $180 million agreement. He added that such leverage can create resentment among senior executives, and claimed that CBS did not contact Romo for the first two days after the leave announcement.
According to Cowherd, Romo’s high salary may have set a precedent for other CBS talent, including play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, to seek similar raises. He also referenced a documented meeting between CBS Sports president Sean McManus and Romo in Dallas, describing the dynamic as "fascinating."
Cowherd acknowledged that Romo earned the contract on the basis of his market value at the time, but suggested that the network’s perception of the deal may have shifted as Romo’s on-air popularity declined and criticism of his commentary grew. He noted that CBS had previously organized an internal review of Romo’s preparation habits in 2023.
Publicly, CBS has continued to support Romo despite the criticism, though Cowherd implied that the recent leave could give the network an opportunity to reassess the arrangement.