This is What will Happen to Dallas Cowboys If Dak Prescott Permanently Takes Tony Romo’s Starting Position

Sep 12, 2016 10:36 AM EDT

With Tony Romo expected to miss the entire 2016 NFL season due to his injury, the Dallas Cowboys have turned to rookie quarterback Dak Prescott to take on the starting position. However, if the team decides to permanently replace Romo with Prescott, then they will have to face the financial problems that comes with this decision.

Romo suffered a nasty back injury in late August during the Cowboys' preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Based on his current condition, the quarterback might not be able to join the team for six to 10 weeks of the 2016 NFL season. However, if things don't go well for Romo, he might be forced to sit out the rest of the year.

With Romo out, the Cowboys were forced to promote Prescott as the team's starter. Backing him up is Mark Sanchez, who was recently released by the Dallas Cowboys during the preseason.

As noted by the team, Prescott was chosen because of the consistency he showed during the preseason games. Although he was the 135th overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft, the Dallas franchise saw that he has what it takes to lead the team.

With Prescott leading the charge and Sanchez right behind him, that means Romo will be free from the pressure of getting back to the field as soon as possible. However, this also means that the Cowboys will have to restructure the quarterback's contract again.

The last time Romo renewed his contract with the Cowboys was in 2013. At that time, he signed a six-year contract worth $108 million with a $25 million signing bonus and $55 million guaranteed money. Even though Romo is nearing the halfway point of his contract, which is the biggest in Dallas' history, this still means that he is still expected to make a huge amount of money this year.

But, given his current condition, it would not be logically sound for the Cowboys to pay him this much since he won't be playing. One option would be to trade him away, although the Dallas franchise will probably not be able to find a team that's willing to shoulder his remaining salary.

Another alternative would be cutting Romo from the active roster in June next year. That way, the team will be able to have enough financial resources until 2018.