JJ Watt Breaks His Silence About Taking Tony Romo’s Place On CBS’s No. 1 Broadcast Team

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

NFL on CBS color commentator JJ Watt has officially broken his silence regarding his sudden elevation to the network’s top broadcast pairing.

It did not happen the way he expected, but it happened. CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo was arrested last week on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

Deputies pulled Romo over after observing him driving on the right shoulder lane and cutting across a marked gore area during traffic. Once pulled over, cops noticed he had red, glassy eyes and an odor of alcohol. They also noticed an open bottle of alcohol on the passenger side of his vehicle and small bottles of alcohol in his backpack.

Following his detainment, he would perform poorly on field sobriety tests and declined to submit to a breathalyzer test. CBS would soon put him on indefinite leave. That led the way for JJ Watt to take his place.

JJ Watt Addresses Promotion To Lead CBS Broadcast Team After Unexpected Reshuffle

CBS required an immediate replacement for Tony Romo, and that is where JJ Watt came in.

Taking to social media, Watt acknowledged the highly sensitive environment surrounding his massive career advancement. The former Texans legend expressed immense excitement for the professional opportunity while maintaining deep respect for the overall situation.

‘Haven’t said much because it’s not the circumstances you’d hope it would happen under,’ Watt said on his account.

‘But I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with a legendary team in Jim Nantz, Tracy Wolfson, [broadcast producer] Jim Rikhoff, and the entire CBS lead crew. See you in Minnesota!’

In his included picture were game notes for the CBS contest between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

Watt Could Take Tony Romo’s Spot Permanently

It is highly likely that J.J. Watt will take Tony Romo’s spot permanently, or at the very least, Romo has broadcast his last game for CBS.

CBS Sports president David Berson maintained on Tuesday that there is “no timetable or final decision” regarding Romo’s future. However, industry insiders view the indefinite leave of absence as the beginning of a permanent exit.

Romo made waves when he signed a massive 10-year, $180 million contract in 2020. He still has four years and roughly $72 million remaining on the deal. Following his July 23 OWI arrest, CBS executives have been heavily scrutinizing the “morals clause” in his contract.

If JJ Watt can show that he can handle the placement, it won’t be hard for CBS executives to pull the plug on Romo.