Jerry Jones: Learning from Romo would be 'Harvard degree' for young QB

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already said he believes quarterback Tony Romo will remain the starter of his team for the next four-to-five years.

However, that hasn't put a stop to speculation that Dallas could look to either select its quarterback of the future in this year's draft or acquire a young passer in free agency.

Jones has denied that the Cowboys will select a quarterback with their fourth overall pick, but says that if they did bring in a young quarterback this offseason, Romo would be the perfect mentor.

"If a player came in here and played behind him three or four years, he would come out with a Harvard degree in how to play quarterback in my mind," Jones said, according to the Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site. "He would be that influential. And it would open up an area of how to play the game that we all would agree has a certain unique style to it - Romo."

Romo's partnership with the Cowboys appears set to continue for at least the next two seasons. The 35-year-old's contract ensures that he cannot be released for the next two years due to unworkable cap numbers, meaning that any quarterback drafted this year could be asked to sit until at least the 2018 season.

While that strategy is unusual in today's NFL, with teams often asking rookie signal-callers to start straight away, this year's draft contains several intriguing but raw prospects who could benefit from several years learning the position.

However, Jones remains reluctant to tip his hand ahead of April's draft, as many teams are.

"There's no one breathing that has any idea at this time what we're going to do with that first pick, because I don't," said Jones.