"Unpredictability and unreliability": The real reason behind Tony Romo’s CBS exit? Network reportedly wanted freedom from $180M deal before arrest

Tony Romo’s nine-year run with CBS Sports is over, but the latest reporting suggests his July OWI arrest was not the full story behind the split. CBS and Romo announced Friday that they had mutually agreed to part ways, ending his time as the network’s lead NFL analyst. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback had four years and about $72 million left on the 10-year, $180 million deal he signed in 2020. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, CBS had concerns about Romo’s work and reliability before the arrest. The legal trouble, his reporting suggests, gave the network a reason to finally make a change.Why did CBS reportedly want out of Tony Romo’s contract?Marchand’s reporting points to problems that went beyond what happened in Milwaukee. He wrote that CBS wanted to “break free” of Romo’s contract because of concerns about his “unpredictability, lack of preparation, and unreliability.” His sources also told him Romo “didn’t work hard enough as a broadcaster” and “the further he got away from playing, the less he knew. He didn’t study and failed to learn new players and schemes.”Those are reported criticisms, not findings from CBS itself. Still, they add context to a relationship that had already become more complicated after Romo’s fast start in the booth.Romo joined CBS immediately after retiring from the NFL in 2017 and quickly built a reputation for predicting plays before they happened. That success helped lead to the huge 2020 extension. But according to Marchand, CBS executives had already discussed Romo’s broadcasting work with him before Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.That detail matters because it places the network’s concerns well before the July 2026 arrest.Did Tony Romo’s arrest give CBS a way out?Romo was arrested on July 23 in Wisconsin for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He later pleaded no contest to the OWI charge and received a six-month driving suspension and a fine. CBS placed him on leave, with J.J. Watt moving into the lead booth alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.The arrangement has now become permanent. CBS confirmed that Watt will continue as the network’s lead NFL analyst for the remainder of the season.Marchand put the situation bluntly: “The arrest was not the reason; it was the excuse.” He also reported that the settlement covering the final four seasons and $72 million of Romo’s contract came because CBS wanted to move on.The exact financial terms of that settlement have not been disclosed. What is clear is that CBS chose to end a contract that still carried a major financial commitment. Romo’s departure therefore appears to have been about more than one night in Milwaukee. The arrest changed the circumstances, but the reporting suggests the network had been questioning the relationship for some time.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.