Tony Romo’s future at CBS Sports is facing fresh uncertainty, with NFL media insiders reportedly suggesting the broadcaster may not return to the network after his OWI arrest in Wisconsin last month.
Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who earns a reported $18 million per year as CBS’s lead NFL analyst, has been placed on leave “until further notice.” In his absence, NFL great JJ Watt is set to join Jim Nantz in the broadcast booth.
The network moved quickly after police bodycam video surfaced showing the 46-year-old failing several field sobriety tests. The decision came just weeks before the start of the new NFL season, intensifying scrutiny around one of the league’s most prominent TV voices.
According to Puck News, “a bunch of sports media executives” now believe Romo’s tenure with CBS could be nearing its end, with some doubting he will ever call another game for the network.
The report suggests CBS may view the arrest and the widely circulated bodycam footage as damaging enough to its public image to make a permanent split more likely.
“Will viewers wonder if Romo is tipsy the next time he acts goofy in the booth or has a weird conversation with Jim Nantz?” Puck’s newsletter asked, underscoring the reputational challenge now facing the network.
NFL media insiders reportedly believe Tony Romo’s run with CBS Sports could be close to over
Romo appeared to smirk in his mugshot after his OWI arrest in Milwaukee following a golf event
‘Will social media users create memes with the arrest video? Will M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) go berserk, and make sponsors uncomfortable? These are the types of uncontrollable instances TV network executives strenuously hope to avoid.’
Adding to that is longtime TV sports analyst Colin Cowherd’s claim earlier this week that tension between Romo and CBS has been building ever since he signed his lucrative 10-year, $180 million deal in 2020.
In an appearance on the ‘House of Strauss’ podcast, Cowherd said: ‘When you go into contract negotiations, there was a moment in time that Tony Romo had tremendous leverage over CBS. And he squeezed them for every nickel.
‘Even if you have leverage, it will create resentment somewhere upstairs. And I’ve always thought with the CBS execs, they don’t defend him quite as quickly. Or, when this recent story came out, reportedly, for the first two days nobody from CBS contacted him.
‘That’s what I heard from somebody who would know. And I thought, is there resentment upstairs? Because he had them. He had them dead to rights, and he got every penny he wanted.’
When Romo proved to be an instant TV star on CBS in 2017, ESPN tried to poach him for ‘Monday Night Football’ when his contract was up. That appears to be the ‘leverage’ Cowherd is referring to.
It is currently unclear whether Romo will be back in time for Week 1 of the NFL season, or if he is being paid while on leave. He is owed $72m over the next four years of his current contract.
In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for the network said: ‘Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice.’
On the air, Romo’s work as the lead color analyst for the NFL on CBS has become increasingly divisive with fans.
As he approaches what would be his 10th season with the network, he has been facing calls to step down after being criticized for his strange affectations and errors in commentary.
Romo looks out of his driver’s side window after being pulled over by cops in Milwaukee
Footage of a rambling and glassy-eyed Romo failing police sobriety tests emerged last week
Whether it was confusing Josh Allen for Patrick Mahomes, letting out a bizarre groan during the Bills-Jaguars game or calling a 4th & 1 carry like a first-down, Romo had his share of blunders in last season’s playoffs alone.
Romo said he felt unwell during the Bills-Jaguars incident, explaining: ‘We had a bunch of guys sick, we were just grinding through it. You’re not going to miss a playoff game.’
Romo, who famously dated Jessica Simpson, is married to wife Candice, a past Miss Missouri
In December 2023, at the height of ‘Tayvis’ Mania, Romo bizarrely addressed Taylor Swift as the wife of Travis Kelce while she watched him play for the Kansas City Chiefs.
It came long before the couple announced their engagement back in August of 2025 and got married last month.
Romo, who famously dated Jessica Simpson from 2007 to 2009, is married to Candice Crawford Romo, a former broadcast journalist and past Miss Missouri. They have three children.
His arrest on July 23 came after he had participated in a golf tournament in Milwaukee, and he was driving home when he was pulled over by cops.
When asked by officers, Romo insisted he had not consumed any alcohol that day prior to his arrest – but citations released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office revealed that an open container of alcohol was found on the passenger side of his Jeep.
Romo’s OWI charge carries a $1,066 fine on top of the $235 penalty he received for his moving violation, and he is due back in court on September 21 – at the end of Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season.
