Jerry Jones jokes about paying Romo 'a lot' for backup role

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears to be in good spirits about his starting quarterback situation, despite committing $108 million to Tony Romo.

"I paid a lot of money for a backup quarterback, as you well know," Jones quipped on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. "And this, by the way, is going to be the record for having paid this for the backup quarterback."

With the ascension of rookie Dak Prescott - and his $450,000 price tag - the Cowboys are suddenly in a strong position on the field, but with Romo's nearly $25-million cap hit next season, big decisions will have to be made.

Despite Prescott's success, Jones was unwilling to say the Romo era in Dallas has come to an end, touting the accomplished veteran as a major asset for the Cowboys, if needed.

"You don't rule that out obviously. That would be madness," Jones explained.

"As I said, if you ruled that out, then why would you even have a real commitment to a backup quarterback? Think about that a minute. You're going to do it, and you're going to have a team that is getting better, feeling better about itself, it's gaining really confidence in being able to handle adversity, handle it on the road, wherever. Boy, just like at any position, but more importantly to have Tony Romo able to step in at the right time when you would need him is absolutely unthinkable in a positive way."