Romo Could Get Exclusive Franchise Tag

NFL Network’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Cowboys and Romo are far apart on contract talks, and there’s not much interaction between the two sides. Schefter is reporting that the Cowboys have two backup options if Romo is not given a new contract by season’s end.

The Non-exclusive Franchise Tag

Basically this means Romo would earn about $10.7 million dollars for 2008.

If the Cowboys slap the non-exclusive franchise tag on Romo, it will allow other teams to sign Dallas’ quarterback to an offer sheet, potentially include a poison pill, and then be forced to compensate the Cowboys with two first-round picks in return.

The Exclusive Franchise Tag

Basically this means no team could negotiate with Romo, but the Cowboys would pay Romo the average of the top five quarterbacks in the league which would be at least $14 million dollars for 2008.

More from Schefter:

Unless Romo is signed to a long-term extension –- and no talks have occurred recently and none are scheduled in the future -– Dallas is going to have little choice but to use its exclusive franchise tag on its quarterback.

Otherwise, the Cowboys will be inviting other teams to lure away their quarterback. Just think of the teams that could jump in and try to steal Romo.

There’s is no way Jerry let’s it get this far, I would be shocked if Jerry let’s his star QB go without a new contract. In my opinion, I see Jerry stepping up contract talks around the bye week if not soon after that, especially with a winning record. The Cowboys should be able to handle the Bills on the road, the Patriots will be the true test for both squads; however, if the Cowboys win this game, it definitely bodes well for the Cowboys longterm aspirations and Romo’s contract, the following week the Cowboys play the Vikings, another win. The Cowboys could conceivably be 7-0 going into the bye week, and Romo could come out of the bye with a newly signed contract.

Schefter speculates on what teams would go after Romo if he were given the Non-exclusive Tag:

The Bears, who have been unable to find a proven quarterback, could sign Romo to a whopping offer sheet with a “poison pill” in it that would potentially force the Cowboys to guarantee the entire contract if they matched the offer.

Any quarterback-needy team could do the same, like the Vikings, who also have struggled to find a top-notch quarterback.

And there’s even a longshot team that could potentially jump into the mix. If Brett Favre decided to retire after this season –- and it’s a topic that pops up as sure as winter – then Green Bay could attempt to try to bring home Romo, who grew up in Wisconsin.

Of course all of these scenarios could be avoided one of two ways: If Romo signs a long-term extension, or if the Cowboys use their $14-million-plus exclusive rights franchise tag on him. (NFL.com)

The NFL trend has seen clubs giving veteran extensions and rookie contracts 6yr deals, so I see Romo getting a 6yr deal for $75-85 million dollars, that puts him slightly over the cost of the non-exclusive tag price range, and tops out at the exclusive tag ranch when you calculate my estimations. We’ll see.