Tony Romo currently makes nearly three times what his NFL broadcast partner Jim Nantz gets from CBS, and Nantz reportedly wants the numbers on his paycheck to match Romo’s.
Sources told Andrew Marchand of the New York Post that Nance could be headed for a contract showdown with CBS. The 61-year-old is said to be seeking “Tony Romo money,” which at the moment is $17.5 million per year.
Nantz, who has worked for CBS for 30 years, currently makes $6.5 million per year. His contract is set to expire early next summer. If Nantz wants something close to the $17.5 million Romo makes, he would be asking CBS for a nearly 200 percent raise.
While that sounds like a lot, it should not be difficult for Nantz to justify a significant raise. In addition to being one half of the top NFL broadcast team for CBS, he also calls other top sporting events like the Masters.
Marchand notes that CBS views Romo’s contract as an “aberration, not a benchmark.” It seems unlikely that the network will pay both Romo and Nantz nearly $18 million per year, but Nantz is underpaid at the moment. Joe Buck makes more than $10 million per year from FOX and Mike Tirico gets roughly the same amount from NBC.
Romo’s situation is obviously unique in that he received massive offers from almost every rival network. Even if CBS allowed Nantz to test the market, it’s doubtful he would get any offers that are close to Romo’s salary.
