A poor playoff performance can end a player or team’s season, but the NFL commentators don’t face the same consequences. Take CBS analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, for example, who has been under fire for subpar coverage but is still assigned to cover the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.

According to the report, Romo and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz will call Sunday’s game. With the NBC crew handling Super Bowl LX in February, this game could be the current CBS color commentator’s last game this season amid backlash from the fans. Then CBS will make a final call about his future.

Since becoming the CBS commentator in 2017, there has been a sharp decline in his performance in recent years. Initially, he was nicknamed “Roostradamus” for his unique ability to accurately predict offensive plays and final scores before the games. But that’s in the past.

In the past few seasons, including this season, he hasn’t been great with his insights. The football fans expressed frustration online regarding Romo’s coverage, as he would often talk over play-by-play partner Jim Nantz, make unusual noise, and state the obvious facts without adding value. In the recent AFC Divisional matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, he incorrectly referred to Josh Allen as Patrick Mahomes.

That specific incident occurred when the Broncos edged out Josh Allen’s team 33-30 in overtime. Romo misspoke while reacting to Allen’s play in the second quarter, when the quarterback was scrambling through the middle, picking up a small gain for a first down. In the replays, Romo could be heard referring to Allen as Mahomes, sparking instant backlash.

The former Dallas Cowboys star has reportedly been struggling with illness. In the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Bills, Romo referred to Liam Coen’s team as the “underdogs”, even though they were clear favorites going into the clash. Naturally, what followed was backlash, but he addressed the lapses while speaking on SiriusXM with Adam Schein.

“You’re always trying to do the best you can and everything,” said Tony Romo. “There’s always going to be moments where there’s all this great stuff, and then other stuff. It’s just part of being in your position. You’re just trying to make everyone enjoy the show, and learn a little bit and have a great time.”

In that conversation with Shein, the CBS color commentator also revealed that he was as “sick as a dog”, while also noting that numerous members from the broadcast team were unwell, but they couldn’t afford to miss “too much fun” of a playoff game.

Tony Romo’s job doesn’t appear to be threatened despite the public outcry

After a contract extension in 2020, Tony Romo is one of the highest-paid NFL analysts at present. Signing a 10-year contract for $180 million, he receives approximately $18 million per year.

Although many fans want him gone, his job appears to be still secure due to his team’s ability to draw strong viewership this season.
With 21.25 million, CBS drew the best number among broadcast networks in the regular season.

The Thanksgiving Day game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs, which was called by Tony Romo and his broadcasting team, became the most-watched regular-season game, amassing 57.231 million total viewers.

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Despite the slip-ups, it’s clear that Romo, along with Nantz, Wolfson, and rules analyst Gene Steratore, make a great team. They can achieve that big game feel. Sure, fans might claim that they’re tuning in for football, not the announcers. But lousy broadcasting is a turn-off, and if Tony Romo was as bad as the internet backlash suggests, the numbers would paint an entirely different picture.

Mistakes are bound to happen, especially on live TV for over 3 hours. But many fans still remember how Romo and Nantz called the perfect game during the Patriots-Chiefs AFC Championship Game in 2019. The reality is that CBS has a Super Bowl in 2028, and Tony Romo is under contract until 2030.

Maybe the AFC Championship game could be his final outing of the year. Considering his broadcast team’s ability to draw big numbers, along with the confidence shown by the CBS management, it’s well within the realm of possibility that he will return as a color commentator next season.