In a classic Friday news dump, CBS Sports set the sports media world on fire by revealing it had placed Tony Romo on indefinite leave following his July 23rd arrest for driving under the influence in Milwaukee.
Early indicators pointed to Romo reclaiming his role as CBS Sports’s No. 1 NFL game analyst.
In a lucky break for the 46-year-old, his first offense arrest for operating a vehicle (OWI) while intoxicated will be treated as a civil, not criminal, offense under Wisconsin law. There was also doubt that the conservative CBS would shake up the No. 1 television team only weeks before kickoff of the 2026 NFL season. Lest we forget, CBS just enjoyed its most-watched season ever, with the former Cowboys quarterback serving as its lead analyst.
And yet, I’ve talked to a growing number of industry sources who are skeptical that Romo will keep his job as CBS’s No. 1 NFL color commentator. Several sources tell Front Office Sports they expect No. 2 NFL game analyst J.J. Watt, whom CBS named as his temporary replacement on Friday, could pull a Wally Pipp-like move and eventually take over from Romo on CBS’s top team.
Among the factors now working against Romo:
