May 2017: Colonial Country Club, a black-tie event. Lance Barrow, one of CBS’s longtime producers, was talking about Tony Romo before the former quarterback had even made his NFL broadcasting debut. He said CBS had “the next John Madden” on its hands before Romo had even called his first NFL game ever. When the time for the rookie’s first appearance did come, he was sent straight to Colonial’s 18th hole. 

The experiment didn’t take long to become a full-fledged bet. By September, CBS had placed Romo directly beside Jim Nantz on its No. 1 NFL team, with no long apprenticeship in between. Nearly a decade later, the network is facing the reverse problem: what happens to that chair when Romo isn’t in it? The temporary answer is an excited J.J. Watt. The permanent one, however, depends on something CBS still doesn’t have: a timeline for Romo’s future. And at NFL Media Day in Manhattan on Tuesday, CBS Sports president David Berson finally addressed the question hanging over the network. 

“I can say that it’s an evolving situation, and therefore we’re still investigating,” Berson said during a CBS Sports network event. “There is no timetable or final decision at this time. Since it continues to evolve and we’re on the eve of the season, I felt it’s very important that our team have certainty and direction so we can definitively plan and focus on the production and marketing as we kick off the season.

Berson also made clear that CBS’s immediate priority is separating its season planning from the uncertainty around Romo.

“In making this decision, we have to consider the impact on our image and on our brand. That’s very important to us. The focus should be and needs to be on our presentation and this great product and not on any other factors,” he said. The network has already begun doing exactly that.

“Fortunately, we have a very deep bench,” Berson stated.

CBS has had to rearrange the crews in Romo’s absence. J.J. Watt, who was initially part of the No. 2 crew, will replace Romo on the No. 1 team, the network announced. Watt will now work with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson. The new group will debut on September 13, when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers. Watt joined CBS in 2023 and moved into its No. 2 game booth with Ian Eagle last season. Now, he is being asked to step into the seat Romo occupied for nearly a decade.

And Watt is quite excited about it.

“Haven’t said much because it’s not the circumstances you’d hope it would happen under, but I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with a legendary team in Jim Nantz, Tracy Wolfson, Jim Rikhoff and the entire CBS lead crew,” Watt shared on X. The excitement is telling, but so is the caveat: even Watt acknowledged that the opportunity arrived under circumstances he would not have chosen.

Watt, in turn, will be replaced by Ross Tucker, who has worked for the network since 2018. Tucker will now join Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn on CBS’s No. 2 team. He has also worked with Eagle on Westwood One broadcasts, giving the new pairing some built-in familiarity.

And the ripple goes further. The Watt promotion has forced CBS to reshuffle other crews as well, with Logan Ryan moving into another booth and Robert Turbin taking over Tucker’s previous assignment. What began as one empty chair at the top has therefore turned into a broader rearrangement of the network’s NFL lineup. That is the practical side of the problem. The contractual side is considerably heavier.

Romo signed a reported 10-year, $180 million contract with CBS in 2020, a deal that helped reset the market for top sports broadcasters. He reportedly has four years and roughly $72 million remaining. The Athletic has also reported that the agreement contains a standard morals clause, although CBS has not said whether it believes Romo’s situation triggers that provision or whether it intends to use it.

That distinction matters. CBS has not announced that Romo is being fired, nor has it said that the Sept. 21 court date will determine his future. Berson’s message on Tuesday was narrower: the network is still assessing the situation, and there is no timetable or final decision.

There has also been support for Romo from people who know him well. Jim Nantz, who spent nearly a decade working alongside him, has continued to speak warmly about his longtime broadcast partner. Nantz said their friendship remains intact but declined to discuss their private conversations. He has also praised Watt as he prepares to take over the booth. Then, there was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who also voiced his support for Romo after everything that transpired.

Romo was arrested on July 23, when Wisconsin authorities stopped him on Interstate 43. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said the former quarterback showed signs of impairment during the traffic stop and did not perform well on the field sobriety tests. And since Romo had been CBS’ lead analyst since 2017, it brought logistical challenges for the network. However, they have been able to sort that out.

That said, while CSB Sports has yet to make a decision, there is another giant corporation that seems to be doing the same.

Skechers has been silent all this while

Romo’s relationship with Skechers goes back to 2017, and the partnership has remained part of his public image. Skechers’ own corporate materials still list Romo among its celebrity brand ambassadors, and the company has continued to feature him in lifestyle and golf campaigns.

That makes the sponsorship question worth watching, even if there is no evidence yet that Skechers has taken action. The New York Post reported that it contacted the company multiple times for comment on Romo’s situation but did not receive a substantive response.

The same silence surrounds Bayer, which partnered with Romo in January 2026 for its “Highlights REAL” campaign alongside his father, Ramiro. Bayer’s announcement described Romo as a former professional quarterback helping tell stories around advanced prostate cancer patients and caregivers.

Neither company’s silence should be read as a decision. For CBS, though, the immediate clock is already ticking. Watt’s first game with Nantz and Wolfson comes Sept. 13. Romo’s next court date comes eight days later. And somewhere between those two dates, or potentially well beyond them, CBS still has to decide what happens to the chair it once handed Romo without hesitation.