Buyer beware. Fragile: Handle with care. Proceed with extreme caution.

Those are three admonitions I would give any NFL team considering the risky proposition of acquiring Tony Romo, either via a trade with the Cowboys or as a free agent if the quarterback is released.

I also would pose this question: How many 37-year-old quarterbacks with multiple recent, major injuries have moved to a new team and been successful?

I can think of only one — Peyton Manning led the Broncos to two Super Bowls, including a win in Super Bowl 50, after his Colts career ended with multiple neck surgeries. I have a hard time coming up with another such quarterback who led his team to the playoffs, let alone a title.

In the wake of Dak Prescott securing the starting job in Dallas, the rumblings are that Romo already has or will be attracting interest from a list of teams, possibly including Denver, Houston, Chicago, Buffalo and the New York Jets. The Romo story ranks high among burning NFL questions as the start of the new league year (March 9) approaches.

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Romo in many ways is a tease to teams in need of a top starting quarterback. He's a four-time Pro Bowler. Through his last full season in 2014, when he led the NFL in passer rating, he was considered a top 10 quarterback. He led the Cowboys to a 12-4 record and the NFC East title in that season, along with a wild-card playoff victory over Detroit.

But he took the Cowboys to the playoffs only four times over his 14-year career — he never reached the NFC title game — and his 2-4 postseason mark is not exactly a Manning-like record of elevating his team in the biggest games.

More damaging to Romo's resume, though, is his injury history.

Here's a reminder to general managers of what's on that medical chart: a back injury that forced him to miss the 2013 season finale, a loss to Philadelphia that knocked Dallas out of a playoff spot, and required surgery; a broken collarbone that sidelined him for 12 games in 2015, a 4-12 disaster for Dallas; and a fractured back suffered this past preseason. As a result, Romo made only four starts over the last two seasons.

The Cowboys are expected to trade or release Romo in order to free themselves from his contract and pick up $5.1 million in salary cap savings this year. With Prescott coming cheap for two more years under his rookie deal, Dallas can use its Romo savings to fortify its defense and keep its dominant offensive line intact.

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I would not be inspired to trade for a player of Romo’s age and injury history with a $14 million base salary in the coming season. I wouldn’t sign him as a free agent, either. It's a recipe for a major mistake that can cost a GM his job.

As Vikings GM, the only time I signed an often-injured quarterback to be our starter was during the 1993 season. We brought in Jim McMahon at age 34, and it was a relatively successful move. The former Bears Super Bowl-winning quarterback led our Vikings to the playoffs as a 9-7 wild card.

But we had to hold our breath and hope McMahon would hold up physically. He did miss four games that season with various injuries. So we did not re-sign McMahon the following year and instead decided to trade for Warren Moon, also an older but more durable vet.

Most important: I did not take on the risk of a huge contract with the McMahon signing — $1.6 million on a one-year deal plus incentives.

Unless Romo agrees to a major pay cut, the financial outlay will be significant. Even if the Cowboys end up cutting Romo, he and his agent will expect starter money elsewhere. That essentially would be his $14 million base salary (plus incentives if he has a good season) to get him to the market rate of $20 million-plus for veteran starters.

Personally, I would steer clear of Romo. But if a team decides to take the risk, it likely will attempt to negotiate a lower base salary (in the $10 million-$12 million range) and a significant per-game bonus to reward him for staying on the field, plus major playoff incentives.

But Romo's agent will fight that structure and want a significant guarantee, which, again, is a big risk for a team. Whatever team brings in Romo had better be sure it has a stout supporting cast. That means a strong offensive line with excellent blocking tight ends and backs who know how to pass protect.

The Broncos reportedly are Romo's preferred team. Will their GM John Elway think lightning can strike twice with another successful signing of an oft-injured vet? It worked with Manning, who led Denver to offensive juggernaut status in his first three seasons there.

Elway would have to put last year's starter Trevor Siemian and 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch in backup roles behind Romo, and he'd have to beef up the pass protection after a season in which the Broncos allowed 40 sacks, ninth most in the NFL. Romo would not last behind that kind of protection, but he at least would have quality receivers with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The Broncos' 27th-ranked running game also would need a boost to keep defenses from teeing off on Romo.

If Elway takes a chance on Romo, I think he’ll regret it. This is not Manning we're talking about.

The Texans probably present the next best option for Romo, and they offer a decent O-line, a good rushing attack led by 1,000-yard back Lamar Miller and an excellent target in Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins. A Romo signing would allow coach Bill O'Brien to put last year's free agency mistake Brock Osweiler into the role of expensive backup.

The Jets also are an intriguing option for Romo considering they were a 10-win team two years ago, before they drowned with Ryan Fitzpatrick last season. Perhaps Romo would get excited about playing in the nation's largest market. He would be supported by a good running game and a strong defense, but the receiving corps has question marks. Plus the offensive line is middle-of-the-road and would need to be upgraded.

I don't see Romo winding up in Chicago or Buffalo, even though Romo played college football at Eastern Illinois.

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Romo seems like a good team guy and a capable leader who has been a very good player. But that was three years and two major injuries ago.

Taking everything into consideration, how can a GM and coach cast their lot with such an aging, injury-prone, likely-to-be expensive player at the sport’s most important position?

Even with a bargain deal, it's just asking for trouble and ultimate disappointment.

Jeff Diamond is the former president of the Titans and the former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He is the former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL.