Tony Romo coming back to CBS is still unresolved after the network put him on leave from its lead NFL booth in late July. J.J. Watt has taken his seat next to Jim Nantz, and CBS has already mapped that pairing through Week 3 and the Ravens-Cowboys game in Brazil.
Romo signed a 10-year, $180 million contract with CBS in 2020, which makes this more than a temporary reshuffle. The longer he stays out of the booth, the more the situation becomes a question of contract economics as much as broadcast planning.
Late July leave
Late July brought the first hard change: CBS Sports announced that Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice. The network has given no indication that he will return to its lead NFL booth anytime soon, so the replacement assignment is not a one-game fix.
July 23 is the date that pushed the issue into public view. Romo was pulled over on Interstate 43 after leaving a golf tournament, and Milwaukee County deputies later said he passed vehicles in a gore area that separates highway traffic from an on-ramp.
Deputies reported red, glassy eyes and the odor of alcohol. An arrest report said he performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken into custody on suspicion of operating while intoxicated, while body-camera video showed him saying he had consumed zero drinks and was on his way to visit grandma and grandpa.
Watt next to Nantz
J.J. Watt has already moved into Romo’s chair alongside Jim Nantz, giving CBS a clean on-air substitute while the larger personnel question sits unresolved. That is the practical part for the network: the booth still functions, but not with the analyst who had become its lead voice.
August added another layer when CBS Sports president David Berson said there was “no timetable or final decision” on Romo’s future. Andrew Marchand later reported that about four years and $72 million remain on the contract, with returning Romo to the No. 1 team looking far-fetched and a settlement or legal fight both possible paths.
On Sept. 1, Romo pleaded no contest to the civil OWI charge. Two related citations for unsafe passing and possessing open intoxicants were dismissed, and court records listed a fine tied to the remaining offense plus a period of license restrictions.
Romo's own words
Romo addressed the arrest after his plea and tied it to pain, treatment and alcohol use. “Multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than I expected and left me with constant, debilitating pain,” he said, adding, “That pain led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”
He also said, “As I turn my attention to my health, my family, and, in time, my return to CBS, I kindly ask for pr,” which leaves his preferred outcome plainly on the record even as CBS has offered no sign that it will move quickly. For now, the network has made the safer programming choice: Watt in the booth, Nantz on play-by-play, and Romo’s return tied to a contract problem that still has not been solved.
