CBS to pay Tony Romo a whopping, record-setting $17 million a year

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...to continue as an NFL game analyst

https://nypost.com/2020/02/28/nfl-an...o-stay-at-cbs/

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback is expected to earn more than he did as a player as part of a new deal reported by the New York Post. Romo was set to become a free agent this season, and ESPN reportedly wanted to scoop him up for Monday Night Football. Romo's new salary tops the previous record of $8 million per year held by John Madden. Even when adjusted for inflation, Romo's salary tops Madden's. "The deal is a long-term contract, with sources saying it is for significantly more than five years," reports The Post's Andrew Marchand. "This means the total value for Romo’s contract will surpass $100 million." CBS took a chance on an inexperienced Romo three years ago, making him a part of the No. 1 CBS NFL team, despite his lack of experience. But he proved to be a breath of fresh air in his analysis and prediction of plays.

CBS to pay Tony Romo $180 million over 10 years after making an offer to Peyton Manning

According to Andrew Marchand, the full value of Romo's new contract to continue serving as CBS Sports' top NFL analyst is $180 million over 10 years. He'll be paid $17.5 million per year, but the extra perks add up to about $18 million a year. Marchand adds that before signing Romo to a new deal, the network offered Manning $10 million to $12 million a year for five or six seasons. But, as Marchand notes, "Manning is NFL TV’s white whale, pursued by networks since he retired, but never caught. CBS looked to replace Romo with Manning as Jim Nantz’s Super Bowl partner." ALSO: Only 20 NFL players have a contract that averages more than $18 million per year.

Why should NFL broadcasters pay big bucks to Tony Romo and Peyton Manning when announcers don't equal ratings?

Romo's new $18 million/year deal with CBS and ESPN's reported offer for $18 million to $20 million a year to Manning to join Monday Night Football seems excessive when viewers are tuning in for the games, not the announcers, says Jimmy Traina. "As I've written, announcers do not equal ratings. Monday Night Football's ratings were actually up in 2019 from 2018," says Traina. "What announcers do, if they are good, is give your network prestige, they keep the NFL happy, they keep your advertisers happy and they don't make a network's life a living hell when it comes to social media. They don't, however, translate to viewers."