Dec 30, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws a pass during the second half against the Washington Redskins at FedEX Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

A stalemate in contract negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys franchise and their star quarterback Tony Romo has threatened to carry over the March 12th deadline but no more. The first signs of progress surfaced with the Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones crooning love songs over the radio at The Fan, KRLD-FM 105.3:

“I think on this particular situation with Tony is we think we have a great quarterback and we want him to be our quarterback here for the next four to five years.”

The word is that Tony is finally willing to talk, yet even Jones describes the initial talks as informal. An interesting aspect of the message the Cowboys executive vice president is sending Romo seems to be indecision as to just how good the team thinks he is. Consider these three different quotes:

“We have a good quarterback and we want to reward him.”

“We have a great quarterback and he deserves to be paid.”

“We’re fortunate that we have a really good quarterback, if not a great one.

Now the worry about the contract time frame slips back in:

He’s in the last year of a contract and our goal is to not let the quarterback run out of contract.”

Now, notice how Romo’s status declines back to merely a “good quarterback” when the salary cap is mentioned:

“When you have a good one and you’re fortunate enough to have a good one, then he’s going to take up the biggest part of your cap space, so you have to be partners with one another and you have to do things.”

Hmmm… Interesting… As with any romance the two parties are interested in what the other has to offer. Tony Romo and his agent want to know the size of the “Dowry”, and Jerry Jones (who hasn’t done any singing yet) will be concerned with the ring: A nice new shiny Super Bowl ring.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton (8) throws a pass against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 16-13 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Dallas Cowboys have just found themselves a new backup for their franchise quarterback Tony Romo, coming to terms with former Bears, Broncos, and Chiefs signal caller Kyle Orton. (more…)

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