NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Tony Romo, Other Potential Trade, Free-Agent Targets

For the 12 teams heading into the postseason, the next game is the only thing that matters. For the 20 teams that missed out on the playoffs—and for millions of football fans—it's already time to begin looking ahead to the 2017 offseason.

Beginning on March 9, teams will be able to sign free-agent players and begin improving their rosters. On April 27, teams will be able to start bolstering their new-look rosters with even more talent via the draft.

Between now and the start of the new league year—along with free agency—on March 9, teams, players and agents will be hard at work renegotiating current deals and planning for the future. Rumors, naturally, are going to run rampant in the meantime.

Some rumors already have, especially where quarterbacks are concerned. Since there is a shortage of quality signal-callers in the NFL, potential starters like Tony Romo and Jimmy Garoppolo are going to attract a lot of attention on the trade market and make noise in the rumor mill. Today, we're going to examine the latest buzz on these players and others who could become available in the offseason. 

Cowboys Creating Market for Romo

The Dallas Cowboys haven't been hinting that they would like to trade Romo in the offseason, but their actions in Week 17 undoubtedly helped created a trade market for him. Romo was allowed to play a series against the Philadelphia Eagles, and that series resulted in a score.

Romo completed three of four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown.

While one series is not enough to evaluate the health and ability of a quarterback, this one was a nice reminder for quarterback-needy teams that Romo still exists and that he is an efficient passer. The dilemma for Dallas is that a team looking to add Romo would also have to absorb his bloated contract.

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News recently explained:

"

He just showed the rest of the league he's no worse for wear. He can still take the snaps, make the reads and then make the throws. If you trade for Romo, you are trading for the contract, which is huge. You'd be doing the Cowboys a favor by taking that contract off their hands. So why would you pay a steep price for the privilege of doing the Cowboys a favor?

"

The reason a team would make that deal, of course, is the belief that Romo can help it win a Super Bowl. This means he makes the most sense for a team that is already close to contention, like the Houston Texans or Denver Broncos. I still wouldn't expect Romo to command a hefty sum in return due to his age, contract and relative uselessness to the Cowboys.

Yet, it's hard to think a team like the Broncos wouldn't be in the postseason right now with a healthy Romo under center. 

Differing Opinions on Garoppolo's Value

When the Minnesota Vikings decided to trade for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford this past offseason, the deal ended up costing them a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick. This is largely what prompted ESPN's Adam Schefter to speculate a similar price for New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo.

"In my mind, Sam Bradford went for a one and a four," Schefter stated on WEEI's Kirk & Callahan. "So to me, that is the starting point, and I don't even know if they would do it then."

However, ESPN's Trent Dilfer disputed Schefter's proposed valuation during an appearance on WEEI's Dale & Holley show.

"I can promise you nobody is trading a first and a fourth for Jimmy," he said.

Dilfer later went on to explain what he thought Garoppolo actually might be worth.

"I've always thought Jimmy would maybe be a late first and a conditional. I think it's more a second and third combination where you can get two really good players. The only caveat to that is people are valuing first-round picks less and less these days."

Realistically, Dilfer and Schefter don't differ too much on their values here, depending on which team is doing the trading. If, say, the Cleveland Browns traded the first pick in Round 2 (33rd overall) and a third-rounder, it wouldn't be much worse than a late first and a fourth.

But the reality is that the Patriots may not even be interested in dealing Garoppolo—and they probably aren't if they view him as the heir apparent to Tom Brady. If New England isn't actively looking to move the Eastern Illinois product, then it might take a lot more than first- and fourth-round picks to spark real trade interest.

In this regard, it doesn't even make sense to put a value on Garoppolo. New England is likely to set its own price or simply wait until Garoppolo's contract runs out after 2017 to decide on his future.

Pryor Wanting to Return to Cleveland?

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Former quarterback Terrelle Pryor completed his first season as a starting wide receiver with 1,007 yards and four touchdowns on 77 receptions. Considering the laughable platoon of signal-callers the Cleveland Browns dealt with in 2016, that's a pretty impressive feat.

For the season, Pro Football Focus rates Pryor 77th out of 218 wide receivers.

For most teams, Pryor projects as a quality No. 2 receiver. This means he could secure quite the enticing contract on the open market. Mohamed Sanu, for example, got a five-year, $32.5 million deal from the Atlanta Falcons last offseason to complement Julio Jones.

Before Cleveland's final game, Pryor made it sound very much like he—and his agents—were interested in testing the open market this offseason.

"I love to play for [head coach Hue Jackson] and I enjoy playing for him this year and I'd love to play for him longer," Pryor explained, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "But at the end of the day, it's got to come down to what my agents think is right for me."

The Browns, who also have pending negotiations with linebacker Jamie Collins, may not be as keen to hand out a Sanu-caliber contract as another team might. With Cleveland likely a few years away from contention, the team might be more interested in a two- or three-year deal based heavily on incentives.

While Pryor proved he can be a starting NFL receiver, it would be nice to see him prove he can be a difference-maker on a consistent basis. Pryor was held below 50 yards receiving nine different times in 2016.

Testing the market would seem to make sense for Pryor. However, Pryor did make it known on Monday that he'd prefer to get his new deal in Cleveland after all, according to Cabot:

If Pryor can get a deal done in Cleveland, it could give the Browns a potential building block for the future. It would also mean one of the most intriguing pending free agents would be off the market entirely.