The 2021 NFL Week 14 Roundup | When Tony Romo Met Willy Wonka
Romo FOMO
It’s fancifully termed the Willy Wonka clause and was haphazardly tossed into Tony Romo’s rookie contract with CBS in 2017 as an afterthought. No one knew at the time how much or how fortuitous that little Easter Egg would prove to be in just 3 years time. It was also a perfectly placed hand grenade in the networks’ — plural — best laid plans. A perfect storm of what-about-me egos, talent scarcity, expiring contracts and looming NFL rights renegotiations ignited a footrace and a game of musical chairs among NFL broadcasters to lure on-field talent upstairs into the broadcasting booth trading green pastures for a golden microphone. Tony Romo’s initial 2017 contract sent powerful ripples racing outwards and signaled to everyone in the industry a new normal. The effects of Tony’s deal (and his subsequent precedent-setting one signed just last year) continue to reverberate in present day where we see an arms race unpacking to the beeping of a phalanx of Brinks trucks backing up and yielding their payloads before dollar-bills-for-eyeballs on-air NFL game announcers. Everybody wants “Tony Romo Money”.
It wasn’t always this way. There was a time not too long ago when networks charged with calling NFL games tapped in-house talent to lay the soundtrack for the pricey games on their air. Think NBC’s Bob Costas or CBS’s Jim Nantz. It was an easy fit as networks could deploy their broadcasters across any of the sports properties rotating through the seasonal calendar. And it was VERY cost-efficient for the networks. The popularity of famed former Raiders coach John Madden and the instant credibility he lended audiences as a color analyst beginning in the late 1970s forever changed this calculus. John’s natural ability to communicate with the at-home viewer while at the same time humorously depicting game play in real-time was an immediate hit. He took his gift and hopscotched across CBS, ABC, Fox and finally NBC where he ultimately earned more than $8M annually before officially walking away in 2008. The template was set and networks began looking on-field for in-booth prospects. Former Cowboys QB Troy Aikman famously followed in John’s footsteps where he debuted on Fox in 2001. He’s been there ever since and has become a familiar face and voice to a generation of football fans.
Which is where Tony Romo enters the picture. The third pre-Season Cowboys game of 2016 would witness the end of Tony’s football career. A compression fracture to his back had him quickly thinking end game. The dazzling emergence of backup QB Dak Prescott during his recovery time cemented his reality. Tony would go on to play one final game in 2017 before retiring to mass fan adoration in April 2017. And as his 14 years with the NFL came to an end, an unlikely golf-centric friendship with CBS’s Jim Nantz sparked yet another. The mutual friendship paved the way for Tony signing on to become the lead analyst for CBS (alongside Jim) despite competition from NBC who wanted to pair him with Mike Tirico for Thursday Night Football. Tony knew his worth, his brand and would only tiptoe into the broadcasting world if allowed to do so on his terms. This meant Lead Analyst AND signature Sunday games. AND Championship games and Super Bowls. CBS foot the bill perfectly and a 3-year deal was consummated quickly paying him $3 annually. To get the deal across the finish line, Tony’s agent and attorneys inserted that Willy Wonka clause quietly into his 104-page long contract with CBS. The clause called for a standard 3-month CBS-exclusive renegotiating window in 2020 during which time a new contract could be ironed out free from competitive interference. If no agreement was in the cards, Tony would then be able to enter free agency unhindered without strings and test the waters with other networks. The clause also CRUCIALLY spelled out that Tony had the right to name his price to stay during this “negotiating” window. No dollar amount, just the ability to call-out a number. Agree or agree to part ways. The Willy Wonka clause. It was a clause CBS didn’t think much of at the time especially considering his $3M starting rookie salary. Tony and his team knew otherwise and smiled as the clock ticked ever downwards.
Tony’s time with CBS was met with immediate critical and spectator adulation, just as focus group testing confirmed. Tony’s ability to pick apart offensive plays and relay to fans the whats and the whys gained him instant popularity. His well-earned ease at predicting coming plays paired with his humor, relatability and pure chemistry with Jim Nantz drew raves. To the at-home viewer, it was as if Tony was in on the fun seated on the couch just beside reaching for the plate of pigs in a blanket and a frosty beer shouting at the screen. Tony’s work in the broadcasting booth has turned heads in the broadcasting industry both for his approach and his natural fit. He made the transition from one side of the camera to the other insanely effortlessly. Broadcasters go to school and cut their teeth with lesser gigs to hone their craft. Tony needed none of that. He spoke from his well-versed heart. 2017, 2018 and 2019 were the honeymoon years, in retrospect. CBS got a steal for the hottest prospect in media broadcasting to come along in decades. BUT CBS executives knew that a storm gathered on the horizon late in 2019.
That’s when a fluke of the calendar laid bare the pauper position they’d painted themselves into. Not only was Tony’s rookie contract expiration coming up in 2020, but so too were NFL broadcasting agreements with all the networks. Nothing is certain with NFL renegotiation rights, despite CBS proudly airing NFL product since 1956. The only certainty is that they’d be forking over more cash; the question was just how much. Now the thing with rights negotiations, it’s all about campaigning. You must put together your best case for retaining the rights to which you’re currently entitled to. The idea of maintaining the highly rated status quo. The NFL prizes stability and predictability above all else. But with Disney on the hunt to MORE NFL exposure, a run at CBS’ package was NOT off the table. And so, CBS banked on the prized Tony Romo addition to it’s commentating booth as a key plank of its renegotiating strategy. Further distressing CBS officials were the problems Disney was fielding with its Monday Night Football. Plagued in 2019 with the widespread unpopularity and viewer-repelling pairing of Joe Tessitore and Booker McFarland, it was well known in media circles that Disney was on the hunt for BIG NAME talent to beef up its prized broadcast on ESPN. And with Disney’s deep pockets, everything and everybody was ON the table. So with Tony’s expiring contract, upcoming NFL rights renegotiations and Disney looking to buy its way out of a quagmire, CBS made quick work of a Rolaids bottle.
Tony’s Chesire Cat grin smiled upon the CBS plight. With the clock ticking ever-faster, CBS execs wasted no time in locking up their ace-in-the hole. In early 2020, CBS and Tony entered into contract extension talks. CBS had only one goal in mind and it wasn’t walking away. They internally calculated via industry sources that Disney was preparing a $20M per year offer should Tony enter free agency that March. And that’s when the Willy Wonka clause was invoked. Tony’s Team figured on saving everyone some time and just penciling out the money it would take for the prized broadcaster to stay. $180M, ten years — a cool $18M annually. Gulp. CBS executives wiped their eyes, nodded in slow motion and ultimately agreed…reluctantly. It was a ton of money for one person but in the perspective of the network’s multi-billion dollar investment in the NFL, the agreement was just a speeding ticket and simply the cost of doing business. It also had the benefit of clearing the storm clouds from the horizon allowing for an unfettered runway to NFL renegotiations. Plus, it removed Disney from the talent calculations (though Disney says that there was NEVER any intention to offer that kind of money for a cable show). Tony ran the table from the jump and ended up flipping it over in becoming the most highly paid broadcaster EVER. His $190M ($180M + CBS rookie contract) in broadcasting income will far surpass his $127M earned over 14 years in the NFL. Mind boggling numbers calculated at the intersection of opportunity and preparation. Tony Romo Money.
And that’s precisely the kind of money that everyone is all about today. Tony set the precedent that some optimistically see as the floor. Chris Collinsworth recently signed a new 4 year deal that will keep him at NBC for $12.5M/year. Not Tony money but a nosebleed steep increase from his current $1M/year salary. And that’s without the Willy Wonka clause. This will cap an expensive year for the network after having signed former Saints QB Drew Brees this past March for a reported $7M/year. The Peacock will pay. Disney’s splashy Summer signing of the brothers Manning for the popular ESPN2 “Manningcast” for an undisclosed amount certainly didn’t come cheap (thought the Zoom-style broadcast itself looks like it did). Now news that Troy Aikman is making waves ahead of his own deal expiration with Fox in 2022. The rumor mill is abuzz that NBC is looking to swipe Troy from Fox now that Al Michaels is heading over to Amazon (to anchor Thursday Night Football), which Fox will no longer broadcast with Troy in 2022. Adding fuel to the fire is Fox’s recent hiring of Troy critic Skip Bayless, with whom he has significant beef. With all the drama at Fox and looking to leverage his position (currently pulling $8M annually), Troy is waving his flag for all to see and it’s colored George Washington green. Despite his friendship with Joe Buck, Troy is going the way of Tony. And John Madden. And everyone who came before knowing their worth and demanding not a penny less. The price of admission for name-brand broadcasting talent in 2021 and beyond? Tony Romo Money.
Turning now to Week 14 in the NFL, just ahead of the Commissioner’s two week Christmas break, Tony was busy overseeing a busy AFC. Raiders at Chiefs was a case in point. The Chiefs are zooming skyward at the same time Las Vegas is floundering uncontrollably. KC’s 48–9 drubbing of LV underlines this dichotomy. Self-inflicted Raiders wounds were left little time to scab over before the Chiefs picked new ones. Patrick Mahomes powered back to his 2019-self (20/24 258yds 2TDS) while the Team’s DEF stepped on LVR’s neck the entire game forcing 5 turnovers and wrenching relentless pressure upon LVR QV Derek Carr. At this rate of ascent, the Chiefs are BACK. The Raiders? They’re going back home. Over in Tampa Bay, the Bills lost in OT 24–33. Despite a valiant Josh Allen effort, especially helping to dig out of a 14 point hole at the beginning of the 4th to even FORCE OT, BUF’s timidity in not going for broke ultimately did them in. You can’t be meek when Tom Brady is looking to make a statement with back-to-back Super Bowl wins. AND the prom king was decorated anew. Sunday’s game saw Tom breaching Drew Brees’ career completion record of 7142 with a final day tally of 7156. He leads the NFL this year in passing yards (4134) and passing TDs (36). OH yah, and Tom ties Jerry Rice with the most TDs after age 40. Of COURSE there is an ageist metric like that in the NFL. At this point, just burn the book. Grotesque is the scale of Tom’s accomplishments and at 44, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Must be those smoothies. Over at Fedex, the bold Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy bet declaring a DAL victory over the resurgent WFT proved true though with less force than he imagined. 27–20. Dak had a tough game complete with 2 INTs but the Team’s DEF managed to staunch the offensive hemorrhaging. Helping matters was a near total WAS collapse on both sides of the ball. QB Taylor Heinicke’s game-ending knee injury added texture to a WAS frown. And just like that, a 4 game winning streak was snapped like a twig and with it any possibility of their being cast in the role of NFC East spoiler. All perfectly in keeping with the plight of the WFT.
In Green Bay, the Bears found themselves on the road and on the ropes, 30–45. Though is wasn’t quite evident in the comical 2nd quarter where EVERYONE poured on the points (45 combined), Aaron Rodger and his Packers would powerfully take command pushing Green Bay’s record 10–3, a League-best record shared only with the Cards and the Bucs. What COVID toe? Exactly. Down in Houston, the Hawks entered a time machine and machined out a trademark 33–13 victory (despite facing off against the horrible 2–11 Texans). The game was notable for the dramatic resurgence of Russell Wilson who commanded throughout. And it’s all in the does-it-really-matter category as Russell is surely headed for the lifeboats once the off-Season arrives leaving HC Pete Carroll to tend to the Team’s many woes. Down in Nashville, the traveling circus in troubled ringleader Urban Meyer and his Jags set up shop and ended up laying an egg. The Titans shutout JAX, 20–0 in a game that witnessed the worst-yet performance from Jags rookie QB Trevor Lawrence (24/40 221yds 0TDs 4 INTs). Trevor and his teammates can’t be faulted too much for doing their best in a famously toxic coaching environment where accountability is an unknown and unknowable word. And it all cascades from the top with Urban Meyer. He’s casting for fish in a port overrun with net-bearing trawlers. It’s only a matter of time before he gets swept out to sea where he’ll join his Team’s 2–11 record.
And lastly in our Round Robin, Jimmy G and the 49ers managed the outlast the Bengals, 26–23. SF’s traditional 9/10 effort was just enough to fend off the hard-charging Cincy outing this time. Each Team sits ho-hum at 7–6 on the Season. The Lions racked up their latest loss (this time to the Broncos, 10–8) drowning their 2021 record to 1–11–1. Giants at Chargers resulted in a 37–21 LAC WIN. And with it, the Chargers look to have officially shaken off their mid-Season slump. QB Justin Herbert had another blockbuster outing (23/31 275yds 3TDs) and on Sunday became the first QB in NFL history to throw 30+ TDs in each of his first two years. NO sophomore slump in LA. The Falcons clipped the spiraling Panthers, 29–21, in a game noteworthy for the benching of QB Cam Newton in the 2nd quarter only to see his replacement P.J. Walker benched after his second play resulted in a pick. Cam would return to lose the game and with it any remote thought of that storybook return to his home Team. NOLA predictably crushed the Jets, 30–9, behind the Swiss army knife that IS QB Taysom Hill and the celebrated return of RB Alvin Kamara. IN Cleveland, the Ravens suffered a match loss (22–24) AND the loss of QB Lamar Jackson due to a crippled ankle. Lamar was carted off the field in the 2nd quarter and with him potential for any Season salvation. Despite his unevenness in recent weeks, he’s the locomotive that pulls the Ravens train. Backup QB Tyler Huntley admirably did what he could but found the CLE DEF just as promised. At 8–5, BAL needs Lamar back stat. And finally, last night’s crucial NFC Rams-Cards matchup. The Rams arrived in Glendale the underdogs and left doing donuts in the parking lot, 30–23. LAR QB Matt Stafford enjoyed his best and strongest showing in weeks while the Team’s Defense had ARI phenom Kyler Murray and his OFF overall uncharacteristically on their heels the entire game. A fascinating story unfolding atop the NFC West that is sure to seed a squeal this time next month.
