/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54065947/GettyImages-630768608.0.jpg)
According to multiple sources Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will not play NFL football in 2017, instead making the move to the broadcast booth. Romo is intelligent and articulate and should make a fine analyst. Does his move to broadcasting affect the Jets?
The primary effect Tony Romo's decision will have on the Jets involves removing the best quarterback on the market for consideration in a trade or as a free agent signing when Romo is released by Dallas. With Romo off the market, assuming he can't be lured back with a big offer, two teams, the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos, are left without great choices at quarterback. Both teams have top defenses and are ready to contend for a Super Bowl title in 2017, but for the lack of a viable option at quarterback. Both were expected to make bids for Romo if and when he became available. Both will now have to look elsewhere. Colin Kaepernick is a possibility, but neither team seems enamored of that option. The same goes for Jay Cutler. Jimmy Garoppolo might be available for trade, but Cleveland is rumored to have interest and they have the draft assets to get it done. New England might also actually be serious in the rumor they have little interest in trading Garoppolo in 2017. Assuming Garoppolo remains with New England that makes at least three teams without a viable option at quarterback, and only two remaining viable quarterbacks in Cutler and Kaepernick. Even if Cutler and Kaepernick both get picked up, at least one of these three teams may have serious interest in trading up to Pick #6 if they like any of the quarterbacks available.
Cleveland might still take a quarterback with the first pick of the draft. However, it is widely assumed Cleveland will select Myles Garrett with the first pick. Romo might still play for the right offer. Garoppolo might still be traded. There are still plenty of possibilities for these teams to pick up a viable quarterback without trading up. However, if Tony Romo truly is off the market, there is one less viable quarterback available for quarterback needy teams. And that makes it a little more likely the Jets, who are not being shy about their desire to trade down, will get their wish.