AP

Maybe the reason the Cowboys aren’t putting Tony Romo on IR is that they’re trying to save a little cash.

According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, new Cowboys starter Matt Cassel stands to cash in for his latest stand-in role, and could earn an extra $1.2 million if he starts the final five games of the season.

Cassel re-worked his contract with the Bills before he was traded, and can earn up to $2.15 million in incentives.

So far, he’s played 40 percent of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps (290 of 727), and could get over the 55 percent threshold by playing out the string.

He stands to earn $400,000 for 35 percent of the snaps and $800,000 for 45 percent. He could earn $1.6 million if he got to 65 percent. Getting to 60 percent of the snaps for the season and playing 60 percent of the snaps of a playoff game would earn an extra $150,000.

Of course, getting snaps in a playoff game would require winning a game, as Cassel’s 0-4 in starts for the 3-8 Cowboys. But if he continues to lose, it’s worth wondering whether they’d park him and let Kellen Moore start a meaningless game or two late just to save some cash.