Losing his star: Cowboys will release Romo
DALLAS — Tony Romo’s star-crossed career as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys will soon be over.
A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press the Cowboys will release Romo when a new NFL year opens today. The person spoke to the AP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced a decision on Romo, who will get a chance to pursue a starting job elsewhere.
Romo will leave the Cowboys as the franchise leader in passing yards (34,183) and touchdowns (248). But he could never match the postseason success of Hall of Famers and multiple Super Bowl winners Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.
A 10-year starter who joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2003, Romo lost the job last season to rookie Dak Prescott after breaking a bone in his back in a preseason game. When he was healthy again, Romo conceded the job to Prescott during a franchise-record 11-game winning streak. His departure has been expected ever since.
A trade was unlikely because Romo turns 37 next month, carries a $24 million salary cap hit and has missed most of the past two seasons with injuries. But he should be attractive as a free agent to contenders wanting a quarterback, a list that could include Denver and Houston.
Romo was 78-49 as the starter, but his playoff debut 10 years ago illustrated the postseason struggles ahead when he infamously flubbed the snap on what could have been a winning field goal in Seattle. The fourtime Pro Bowler went 2-4 in the playoffs, never winning on the road or reaching the NFC championship game.
Giants add Marshall
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning and the New York Giants now have two legitimate threats on the outside.
The Giants found a complement to Odell Beckham Jr. on Wednesday by signing veteran free-agent receiver Brandon Marshall to a two-year, $12 million contact.
Marshall said the Giants’ offer might have been the lowest he got after being released by the Jets last week. But coach Ben McAdoo’s team, which made the playoffs with an 11-5 record last season, offered him something else.
“It was all about championships,” said Marshall, who has never made the playoffs since being drafted in the first round by Denver in 2006. “To get straight to the point — it was all about a championship. They presented the best opportunity to be in a championship organization.”
Marshall offers the Giants a lot. He is a big target at 6-foot4 and 230 pounds, and he has been productive. In 167 regular-season games with Denver, Miami, Chicago and the Jets, he had 941 catches for 12,061 yards and 82 touchdowns. The soonto-be 33-year-old had 59 catches for 788 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Bills keeping Taylor
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is staying put in Buffalo.
The Bills ended two months of uncertainty Wednesday by announcing he would remain in Buffalo for a third season after agreeing to restructure his fiveyear contract extension. The deal was reached a day before the NFL’s free-agency period opens. Buffalo also faced a Saturday deadline regarding whether to activate or opt out of the extension Taylor signed in August.
The move cleared the biggest offseason question for the Bills, who are undergoing their latest transformation under newly hired coach Sean McDermott , who took over in January after Rex Ryan was fired. McDermott credited Taylor for making the decision an easy one because of his desire to stay in Buffalo.