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At 35, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has reached the age where most players want to go into win-now mode. And at 72, Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jnoes has reached the age when he needs to win now. But Romo says Jones and his staff are building a Cowboys team that will be competitive for years to come, and Romo expects to be a part of it.

Romo told the Dallas Morning News that by focusing on the offensive line — most recently signing La’el Collins as an undrafted free agent — the Cowboys have built a team that has a very bright future.

“I just think the way Jason and Stephen and Jerry have built this team over the last three or four years has been from the inside out and you’re seeing the benefits of that,” Romo said. “We’re still going. This wasn’t a one-year, two — we’re building this for the next five, six, seven years to sustain and any time you get an opportunity to get a guy like Collins you should take advantage of that.”

But is it realistic to think Romo could last for five, six, seven years? He suggested that he could.

“When you have a good offensive line like we do the thought definitely crosses your mind to ensure you do everything possible to play longer than maybe what you had envisioned,” Romo said. “We’ll reassess that in a few years. My wife will tell you, I’m talking a little more long term than I maybe had been. So we’ll see.”

Only a handful of quarterbacks have continued playing past the age of 40. Playing behind the best offensive line in football, Romo could join that group.