Tony Romo and CBS have agreed to a record-breaking broadcast contract, the New York Post reports.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback will remain as the network’s No. 1 football analyst with a contract that pays him $17 million per season, easily the largest deal for a game analyst in sports.
By comparison, Romo averaged a little more than $9.1 per season over the course of his 14-year career in the NFL.
The deal makes Romo the highest-paid analyst in television history.
John Madden made $8 million a year as a color commentator, Troy Aikman makes around $7.5 million a year for FOX, and current Raiders coach Jon Gruden made $6.5 million a year doing Monday Night Football on ESPN.
The deal puts an end to speculation that Romo would leave CBS for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth as the two networks were reportedly ready to engage in a bidding war for his services.
The high demand for Romo paid off in a big way.
Romo joined the broadcast booth alongside play-by-play man Jim Nantz after he retired from the Cowboys in 2016.
He replaced Phil Simms, who shifted to the network’s studio show.
Between his enthusiasm, relatability and penchant for calling plays before they happened, Romo became an immediate favorite among fans and critics.
Concerns that he jumped the line to join the network’s No. 1 team with no experience were quickly quelled as his game analysis drew rave reviews.
Romo broke into the booth on the first team with Nantz after retiring as Dallas quarterbacks.
Romo’s style and ability to predict plays quickly made him a fan favorite and a talent any network would have coveted.
This move has bigger ramifications as it has to show CBS has no intention of losing one of the crown jewel packages of NFL games.
The network currently has AFC games.
FOX has the NFC package with ESPN running Monday nights and FOX Thursdays.