Tony Romo Ends Mid-Season Contract Negotiations with Dallas Cowboys

In an effort to keep the focus on the field and fix what ails the Cowboys offense right now, quarterback Tony Romo has decided to cut off contract talks with the team during the season, according to Brandon George and David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

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Quarterback Tony Romo has tabled negotiations on a contract extension with the Cowboys until the season is over so the process won’t become a distraction.

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Romo, 32, is signed through the 2013 season, but the Cowboys would like to extend his contract sooner rather than later to help them free up some salary cap space. Romo is counting $8.06 million against the team’s salary cap this season, but that number rises to $16.8 million in 2013.

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This seems like a very calculated risk for Romo, who could be looking to wait in order to drive up his value if the team makes the postseason. It's not like he is going anywhere after the season, but his value could fluctuate on a weekly basis. 

Romo is a very polarizing quarterback. When he is at the top of his game, his numbers will stand up against anyone in the league, including the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. 

He has thrown for over 4,000 yards three times in his career, had at least 25 touchdown passes four times and completed at least 64 percent of his passes four times.

The problem with Romo has always been consistency. On the whole, his numbers tend to look great. But on a game-to-game basis, he tends to do a lot of bad things that hurt the team. 

If Romo is hoping to leverage his next contract based on a possible playoff appearance, he could end up hurting himself. 

Again, this is not a huge deal since he is signed through next season. But if the Cowboys want to be able to make upgrades to their roster through free agency, they will need to get creative. 

There is also concern in the NFL, according to Steve Wyche of NFL.com, that the salary cap next season will likely stay close to the $120.6 million it is currently at. 

Owner Jerry Jones undoubtedly sees the storm coming and wants to take action well before it arrives. But now he'll have to wait until January, at the earliest. 

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