Tony Romo is reportedly retiring from the NFL after 14 seasons, citing health and time with family as the driving factors. The expectation is that that he’ll go into broadcasting, though it appears he might not have slammed the door completely on returning to the football field.

The caveat: Should the Cowboys ever find themselves in a pinch, Romo, who spent his entire career in Dallas and is close with owner Jerry Jones, would consider a comeback, according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater.

We imagine that the Cowboys won’t be the only team keeping Romo on speed dial. Even though he’ll turn 37 later this month, a healthy Romo is one of the league’s best quarterbacks. And given that they’re in such short supply, it’s reasonable to expect quarterback-needy teams -- even through the misfortune of draft picks that never panned out or injuries to starters -- will inquire about Romo’s availability as spring gives way to summer and summer moves into fall.

For now, Romo appears headed for the broadcast studio, though we’ve seen other great players struggle to walk away from the game -- especially when they’re still playing at a high level.

Put another way: With the Cowboys expected to release Romo on Tuesday, what’s to stop him from signing with another team? In a word: Nothing. As a free agent, Romo is free to sign with whoever he pleases.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves, but it’s fair to wonder under what circumstances Romo would consider a comeback. In Dallas, that would probably mean Dak Prescott suffered an injury, though God help us all if it’s because Prescott hits a rough patch and doesn’t play well. Elsewhere -- like, say, Denver or Houston -- perhaps Romo would be lured in if he felt like those teams gave him a legit shot at winning a Super Bowl. Surely he must have some feelings about that now, but it’s also April and the NFL season is still five months off. Players have been known to change their minds as the reality of their decisions draw closer.

For the time being, Romo’s done playing football. Whether, like Peyton Manning, he’s officially done, or, like Brett Favre, he’s sorta kinda not-really done, remains to be seen. Put another way: This isn’t the end of the story, but more like the beginning.