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5 teams that could trade for Tony Romo

Tim Heitman / USA TODAY Sports

The countdown is on.

With Dak Prescott having established himself as the unquestioned quarterback of the future in Dallas, it's only a matter of time before the Cowboys officially move on from Tony Romo.

As odd as it may be to picture the 36-year-old suiting up for another team after 13 seasons, there should be no shortage of suitors lining up to place their bids on the trade market.

Here's a look at five teams that could look to swing a deal for Romo as the offseason gets underway.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are far and away the most intriguing fit for Romo given the potential payoff. Even a minor upgrade at quarterback would be enough to have Denver re-emerge as a Super Bowl contender, and a Pro Bowl-caliber player like Romo could make the team a clear-cut favorite. It remains to be seen whether John Elway and Co. would be willing to part with the necessary draft pick for what's almost certain to be a short-term fix, but the Broncos need to capitalize on this championship window. Neither Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch are going to get it done in the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City enters the offseason in a bit of a tough spot. There's plenty to like about a 12-win year that led to a first-round bye, but a divisional-round loss to the Steelers provided further evidence that this team is maxed out with Alex Smith at quarterback. The veteran signal-caller's limitations as a passer will only continue to prevent the Chiefs from entering the NFL's elite. Kansas City can save a considerable amount of money against the cap by parting ways with Smith, so there may be no better time than now. Making the considerable upgrade with Romo, and drafting his future replacement, is the best way to take advantage of this Super Bowl-ready roster.

Houston Texans

The only thing that would look worse than moving on from Brock Osweiler after just one season is waiting another full year to admit the mistake. The Texans gave Osweiler a four-year, $72-million deal in free agency last offseason out of desperation, plain and simple. A team that's long been in search of a franchise signal-caller thought there was a chance he'd come aboard and be just that. They were wrong. Romo can be the ideal bridge quarterback until Houston is able to draft and develop some more talent at the position. As is the case with Denver and Kansas City, this is the best-case move to capitalize on an elite defense. And Romo gets to stay in Texas.

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler is all but done in Chicago. Having the No. 3 overall pick puts the Bears in perfect position to draft his successor, but there's no guarantee that a rookie would be ready to play right away. Not only would Romo give the Bears the flexibility to avoid rushing the development of its next franchise signal-caller, but there's also reason to believe he'd make a major impact for a one- or two-year stretch. Led by a stacked defensive front seven, the Bears are a lot closer to contention than many believe. Adding Romo and a few defensive backs would have Chicago poised for a considerable jump in the win column.

New York Jets

The fit in terms of positional need is self explanatory - New York has had one of the league's worst quarterback situations for the better part of the last decade, and recent drafting has done nothing to address the issue. What's less certain is whether Romo would have any interest in going up to East Rutherford. Coming off a 5-11 season, management has plenty of work to do in rebuilding the roster. Romo will presumably be calling it a career by the time the team is truly ready to compete, but who's to say the Jets won't still opt for the splash move to keep things interesting? They did it with Brett Favre back in 2008.

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