Players come and go off of rosters all the time. However, even if someone happens to leave either the Dallas Cowboys, or Houston Texans, they always have a place to come back and retire as a member of the club that they once called home. Much like how the Atlanta Falcons welcomed back Michael Vick to the franchise so he could retire with the team that drafted him.
These are three former members of the Cowboys and Texans who should see their final official day in the NFL be with the team they once played for.
3: Barry Church, Dallas Cowboys 2010-16
Barry Church was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He worked his way from the bottom, with nothing guaranteed, to being one of the rocks that held down the Dallas secondary for the last four years. In that time, he’s played in 90 games, and started 63 of them. He’s amassed 359 tackles, forced eight fumbles, and picked off five passes.
However, after the 2016 season he was let go by the club, and signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Church leaving the team, he ranks 15th all-time in tackles, seventh in assists, and ninth in forced fumbles.
2: Matt Schaub, Houston Texans 2007-2013
Matt Schaub was the best quarterback the Houston Texans franchise has had. He led them to their first division title, their first winning season, and their first ever playoff victory. Schaub leads the club in every passing category since the team came into existence back in 2002. His 124 passing touchdowns, 23,221 passing yards and 46 team wins is more than double who follows him in the Texans record book.
However, the team thought they could win without him as their quarterback, as the team let him go after the 2013 season. Schaub has still remained active in the NFL as he’s had stops in Oakland, Baltimore and Atlanta.
When Schaub decides that his playing career is over he should have his final day as a member of the Houston Texans. He brought them to respectability in a time where the Indianapolis Colts were dominating the AFC South division. And, when he does retire, the Texans should retire his jersey, along with dedicating a day in his honor.
1: Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys 2004-2016
Okay, I get that he made a big scene when Romo said he was not going to play in the 2017 season, and instead go into the CBS Booth to be the color analysis with Gus Johnson. However, let’s look at two points that may point that he hasn’t retired as a Cowboys member.
For starters, Dallas released him.
The Cowboys also announced that Romo had officially been released.
“We wish Tony and his family nothing but the best,” said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, via the team’s official website. “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.” (CBS Sports)
Secondly, Romo’s last four years when he was healthy he had 124 touchdowns and 16,620 passing yards. He was betrayed by a rebuilding team that caused him to be hit at an extremely high rate in 2015, and was sacked awkwardly in 2016 causing him to miss a large amount of time due to injuries.
So, when the season starts, and injuries happen to quarterbacks, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Romo leave the booth and come out of retirement.
And, then when his second retirement comes around he should be welcomed back by the Cowboys franchise, like Green Bay did for Brett Favre, and allow him to have his final day in the NFL as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. This would give Jerry Jones to give the proper sendoff to the franchise’s best quarterback, statistically.
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