Tony Romo may be taking the place of Phil Simms on CBS’s top NFL broadcasting team, but that does not necessarily mean Simms is leaving the network.
In an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” Thursday, Simms’ son Chris — also a former NFL quarterback — reiterated that he is unhappy with the way CBS has handled the situation. He also noted, however, that Phil still has two years remaining on his contract.
“I voiced my displeasure with the whole situation a little bit,” Simms said. “I’m not going to talk about it too much. I wasn’t a big fan of how CBS handled my father. I voiced those displeasures. We’ll see where it goes with my dad. I don’t think he know or CBS knows at this point still. They’re going to discuss it. He still does has two years left on his contract. But at the end of the day, listen, all things come to an end. We know that. Tom Coughlin got fired from the Giants and won two Super Bowls.”
Phil hasn’t been fired, but it’s tough to look at being replaced by Romo as anything other than a demotion. While Chris Simms alluded to that, he also said his dad still has plenty left to offer.
“Dad was doing this for 20 years. He’s really been on the No. 1 team since he’s left football from ’95 when he was with NBC. So he’s had a great run. He has nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “This is kind of the age when they make that turn. He’s in his early 60s. There’s certainly a younger group of millennials coming up that go, ‘Who the hell is Phil Simms? He’s just this guy that’s talking with a blazer on all the time.’ I get it. Dad will be fine. He likes talking about football. He’s not going anywhere.”
Phil has not said much since CBS announced its decision to hire Romo, though the few words he did provide made his intentions somewhat clear. Perhaps CBS will come up with some sort of new role for Simms that will keep everyone content, at least for now.
