According to a report, the Arizona Cardinals are one of four teams Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would prefer to play for next season -- but recently, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Romo wearing a Cardinals uniform in 2017 is unlikely.
Recently ESPN compiled a list of 12 teams the 36-year-old Romo could play for next season. The Cardinals are on that list, but only as one of three teams listed in the "long shot" category -- and now that quarterback Carson Palmer has announced he will return next season, that long shot just got a whole lot longer.
Statistically, Romo has been among the NFL's best quarterbacks during the last decade, but he lost his starting job in Dallas to rookie Dak Prescott last season and has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to injury. This has led to speculation that the Cowboys will look to trade Romo before the 2017 season begins.
"This one is pretty simple. If Carson Palmer is back, it's not an option (for the Cardinals). If Palmer decides to come back -- and he could announce at any moment -- then it's not realistic," ESPN wrote just hours before Palmer announced he will indeed play next season.
However, ESPN did account for one other scenario in which Romo could still be moved to the Cardinals.
"If Palmer got hurt in August (during preseason play) and Romo is still in Dallas, the trade would make sense," ESPN wrote at the time. Palmer has suffered two season-ending ACL injuries during his career, most recently in 2014.
An ABC15 Twitter poll taken in February revealed most Cardinals fans don't want the team to trade for Romo, regardless of Palmer's status.
Results of last week's Tony Romo poll. Summary: Most of you don't want the Cardinals to trade for Romo under any circumstances. pic.twitter.com/nNXHFeGqon
— ABC15 Sports (@abc15sports) February 9, 2017
Teams with the best odds of landing Romo according to ESPN are the Chicago Bears and New York Jets.
Now that Romo will be released, he will be able to test the free-agent market.
ESPN lists the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers as other teams that could have a crack at Romo. The Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars are listed with the Cardinals as "other long shots" to obtain Romo's services.
