Is any NFL TV analyst worth $17 million per year?

Friday could have been considered as a complete shock to many who have ever worked in television sports broadcasting in North America. In a remarkable and stunning announcement according to the Canadian Press, CBS told the New York Post that former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would continue to be an analyst on weekend games for a whopping $17 million per year.

Romo has been paired with CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz for the last three seasons. According to sportscasting.com,Nantz makes $5 million per year with CBS. However, Nantz also does play-by-play for CBS’s coverage of March Madness (the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament) and their PGA Coverage, which includes the Masters and PGA Championship.

We all know that the National Football League generates the highest ratings among all sports leagues in North America. However for a person like myself with a broadcasting diploma from a reputable Canadian university, seeing $17 million go to a single individual when many graduates have difficulty in this day and age just to make ends meet, is quite simply a slap on the wrist.

The $17 million could be spent better throughout the network, than just to one single individual. Yes, Romo was a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback. He is in fact one of the better football analysts we have seen for quite sometime. Romo’s strengths are his ability to analyze particular plays with precision in a fast and articulate manner. This is a trait that is extremely difficult to master and Romo has achieved this skill extremely well quickly into the job.

But is this skill worth $17 million? The answer is no. Especially when you consider he only made $1 million more per year as a NFL quarterback. In 2013, Romo signed a six year deal worth $108 million, and retired from playing with two years left on the contract.