Everything Keeps Coming Up Tony Romo

This is Tony Romo's world. The rest of us are just living in it. Bluebirds sing on the former quarterback’s shoulders as he walks down the street in his Sketchers. Neighbors and strangers are quick with a smile and a friendly word. He’s the de facto mayor of Mediatown, rising to prominence with skill and charm.

CBS' top analyst has been a dream come true for the network. And now he wants to be reflectively compensated. The Sporting News reports Romo’s representatives are seeking an extension paying him $10 million/year.

One can predict a lot of future purchases with that type of scratch.

It’s a lot of money. But one would be hard-pressed to sit here and think of a reason Romo won’t get exactly what he’s asking for. Not only that, he’ll do it without taking a negative hit in the public relations realm.

You see, everything has been coming up Tony Romo for so long now. He stepped off the field and into the booth and made things look so easy. He’s so damn good at his job. He knows it, you know it, and CBS knows it.

His success is warranted, and his bargaining positioned buoyed by external events. One need look no further than Jason Witten for an example of how fraught a new broadcast talent can be. ESPN struggled through a rocky year with him, and now must find answers without him.

With Romo, everything’s been smooth sailing. And the desire to avoid growing pains is real.

Two other things work in his favor. First, the guy has outside interests. Business. Golf. Potentially playing football again. He’s the guy at the bar whose indifference makes him even more appealing. One would think he’ll never really step away, but being a nuanced and well-rounded person once again adds to his position of strength

Second, Romo has amassed an army of writers who will do his bargaining for him. It’s tough to throw a dart and miss a newspaper clip or blog post gushing over his vocal talents. He’s pumped up by others free of charge. This has been great for CBS up until now. The problem with creating a perfect announcer, though, is that sometimes you have to negotiate against him.

Romo is in a great position, as he’s been for some time now and will continue to be in the future. This is how it is for him. He makes the hard stuff look easy and is applauded for it. Get used to it.