Tony Romo hanging up cleats to enter broadcast booth

The waiting game is over. Tony Romo is retiring and pivoting to broadcasting, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Todd Archer.

The blockbuster news comes one day after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put the message out that teams were free to communicate with or work out Romo in hopes of facilitating a trade. No team took the bait.

The winding down of Romo’s career was accelerated when he broke his back in a preseason game against Seattle last season. Rookie Dak Prescott proved a worthy starter in his own right, and the future became the present in an instance. Romo handedly the transition perfectly and delivered an emotional speech later in November in which he accepted his relegation to backup.

The 37-year old Romo is expected to have his choice of FOX, NBC or CBS, all of which have wooed him. There is a more specific notion that he could replace the oft maligned Phil Simms as part of the no. 1 broadcast team for CBS.

Things are never as simple as they seem with the theatrical Romo. A report from NFL Network’s Jane Slater suggests Romo could be available as an “emergency option” for the Cowboys if they needed him down the line.

How Romo.