We look at the reasons why former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has picked retirement from the NFL after 14 seasons.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated in March that he would "do right" for Tony Romo.
The inaction over the past few weeks led some to wonder if Jones had reneged on his promise to release the quarterback.
On the contrary, Jones did Romo a favour, granting him sufficient time to decide whether he wanted to continue playing.
Romo has picked retirement.
Romo finishes as an all-time Dallas great who passed for 34,183 yards and 248 touchdowns in his 14 seasons with the franchise. He possesses the fourth-highest career passing rating in NFL history, with a figure of 97.1.
Although never making it to the Super Bowl as a player - through various misfortunes and bad decisions - Romo was nominated to the Pro Bowl four times.
He was also selected to the Second-Team All-Pro following a great 2014 season, which ended controversially after Dez Bryant's 'drop' in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
What was particularly striking about Romo's game was his pocket presence. He had the instincts to 'feel' rushers in the pocket, sidestepping them to buy the extra second required for a successful play rather than a sack. One of the most spectacular examples came in 2014, on the road in Seattle.
Romo's decision to end his career, after losing the starting job to rookie phenomenon Dak Prescott, is understandable.
Prescott was initially handed the reins after Romo went down in the preseason. In his last four seasons in the league, Romo missed at least one game.
He missed a total of 36 games due to injury. The 36-year-old's fragility, particularly in his back, was an impending injury.
When considering the possibility of damaging his health long term, Romo has viewed entering football media as the more attractive proposition.
His move to CBS Sports as a colour commentator alongside Jim Nantz will see him cover Super Bowl LIII in the booth.
Although this is a difficult transition, replacing the unpopular Phil Simms will ease expectations.
Media work is clearly something that appeals to Romo.
"The ability to work alongside of Jim Nantz, just knowing what I wanted to do the next 15, 20, 30 years. I really felt it as though was the right decision at the right time.
"I'm really excited about a new challenge ahead," Romo said on Tuesday. It is comforting to see Romo leave the NFL respected and largely intact.
Pre-retirement, Romo was linked with two suitors in the offseason: The Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. Per NFL Media's Judy Battista, Romo refused to meet with the two teams through fears they would change his mind. His announcement negatively affects the outlook of both franchises.
Denver Broncos
Although James Palmer of NFL Media reported that there was "no guarantee" of the Broncos pursuing Romo, even if the quarterback were to be released, it was difficult not to salivate over the prospect of the quarterback in Mile High.
Romo could have taken advantage of a still-talented defence on the verge of decline. Furthermore, he would have been the ideal mentor for first-round pick Paxton Lynch, who showed in limited playing time that he was not close to being ready for a starting role.
Instead, Denver is left with Trevor Siemian as their first-string passer. Siemian showed his ceiling last year; that of an at-best mediocre quarterback. He provided a below average 2016 season. In Denver, the Super Bowl window is closing - barring rapid improvements from Lynch in training camp and preseason.
Houston Texans
This Texans roster is a quality quarterback away from being a Super Bowl candidate.
Romeo Crennel's creative defence was the best in the league last year, and will be boosted by the return of All-World defensive end JJ Watt. Meanwhile, DeAndre Hopkins is a deadly offensive weapon, particularly with a capable signal-caller.
This makes it especially galling for Texans fans that Romo slipped away.
Houston appeared to pin all of their quarterback hopes on Romo. After unloading the disastrous Brock Osweiler $72million contract on the Cleveland Browns' books, they are now left with Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden as their only options under centre.
Houston are stranded in quarterback hell. Savage has just two starts in the league, in which he has flashed more bad traits than good. Weeden is little more than a backup.
The failure to attract Romo boosts the stock of Colin Kaepernick, and the Texans may just be desperate enough to pay the reported $10million salary asking price. Free agents aside, Houston must look to the draft in hopes they can find a quarterback. Patrick Mahomes, a Texas native, is a potential option for them.
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