Cowboys QB Tony Romo retired from the NFL after a 14-year career:
The writing was on the wall, but an era officially has ended in the NFC East.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys released Tony Romo, the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. The move, the team said in a statement, came at the request of Romo, who will retire from the NFL and pursue a career in broadcasting as CBS Sports' lead NFL game analyst beginning with the 2017 season.
"We wish Tony and his family nothing but the best," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. "As an organization, we did what he asked us to do in terms of his release, and we wanted to do what was ultimately in his best interest and in the best interest of his family."
As a starter, Romo was 10-6 against the Giants in the regular season. The rivalry was measured in streaks, with Romo winning the first four meetings of his career as well as the final five. In between, the Giants defeated Romo in six out of seven contests from 2009-12. The Giants also won their only postseason game against Romo's Cowboys, a 21-17 victory at Texas Stadium en route to winning Super Bowl XLII.
However, Romo, originally an undrafted prospect out of Eastern Illinois in 2003, played in just five games over his last two seasons due to injuries. He most recently injured his back in the third preseason game of 2016, leading to the emergence of rookie Dak Prescott. The fourth-round draft choice went on to be named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 season (two of the losses were to the Giants).
Meanwhile, the Eagles traded up to draft Carson Wentz with the second overall pick in 2016, and the Redskins recently placed the franchise tag on sixth-year pro Kirk Cousins for the second time in as many seasons. That means Eli Manning now has 136 more starts than the rest of the NFC East quarterbacks – combined.
| Player | Team | Reg. | Post | Total |
| Eli Manning | NYG | 199 | 12 | 211 |
| Kirk Cousins | WAS | 41 | 1 | 42 |
| Dak Prescott | DAL | 16 | 1 | 17 |
| Carson Wentz | PHI | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Tony Romo | DAL | 127 | 6 | 133 |
"I have always known that once my playing career was over I wanted to become a broadcaster," Romo said in a separate statement released by CBS Sports. "I am ecstatic for the opportunity to work with Jim [Nantz] as I learn the craft and convey to fans my passion for this great game."
Photos from the all-time series between the Giants and Cowboys
