Jerry Jones on if Tony Romo should be in the NFL Hall of Fame

Former longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had ups and downs throughout his career. He dealt with a number of injuries, and he ultimately never won a Super Bowl. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones, though, believes that the deciding on Romo’s Hall of Fame status is a no-brainer.

Jones: Romo is a first-ballot Hall of Famer

In his 11-year NFL career, Romo completed 65.3 percent of his passes with 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns and 117 interceptions. Romo finished third in 2014 NFL MVP voting and earned four Pro Bowl appearances. The Cowboys made four postseason appearances with Romo at the helm, winning two playoff games.

When asked about whether or not Romo is a Hall of Famer, the decision was an easy one for the longtime Cowboys owner. Romo is eligible to be inducted as part of the Class of 2022, per Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith.

“Well, I think there’s no question in my mind that Tony is skilled, at a skilled level, and had accomplishments statistically that were there,” Jones said. “The fact that we did not have a Super Bowl during that time is always going to be in the conversation as to where Tony Romo will rank. Not rank, but where he’s acknowledged. You’re talking to a guy that he would be a first-round ballot with me, and I don’t apologize for that.”

The lack of Super Bowls will hurt Romo’s case

One of Jones’ biggest regret as owner and general manager of the Cowboys is the inability to put together a Super Bowl-winning team with Romo. The Cowboys were not able to protect Romo at times during his career.

In 2009, Romo was sacked nine times. Before going down to injury in the sixth game of the year in 2010, Romo had already been sacked seven times. He was then sacked 36, 36, 35, and 29 times in each of the next four seasons. Romo played in just five games over his last two seasons due to injuries.

“You’ve heard me say it’s right there maybe my most disappointing thing about the Cowboys for me is not winning a Super Bowl or be in one with Tony Romo,” Jones said. “And we just weren’t able when we didn’t have him, we weren’t able to compensate for that. That had something to do with him not being on a Super Bowl team.”

The Cowboys are hoping that they can protect their current quarterback this season. Dak Prescott is working his way back from a couple of injuries. If Jones has his way, the Cowboys will achieve their ultimate goal under Prescott.