Andrew Marchand on Jim Nantz and Tony Romo: ‘That chemisty, that trust, is not there’

It wasn’t that long ago that Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were considered the gold standard of modern NFL broadcasting booths.

In recent years, however, CBS’s top booth has experienced some repurational setbacks, often due to Romo’s diminishing returns.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand has been covering the situation for some time. He was the one who initially reported that CBS brass had an “intervention” with Romo several years ago to get him back on track. While the company initially pushed back on that “mischaracterization,” former CBS Sports president Sean McManus later admitted they did meet to discuss some issues.

While the animus died down last season, Romo has been in the spotlight recently, and not in the best way. His performance in the Wild Card game between the Bills and Jaguars was panned, leaving Marchand wondering whether Romo “does his homework.” While he improved in some ways for Saturday’s Bills-Broncos call, some of his old tics remained.

Whatever’s going on with Romo has also impacted the way he and Nantz call games together in the eyes (and ears) of many viewers. Marchand previously said on his Marchand Sports Media podcast that the partnership felt like it had been “regressing.”

On Monday, Marchand and Jon Meterparel discussed the NFL Playoffs weekend that was, including Nantz and Romo’s call of the game.

After Meterparel said he felt Romo had become “disassociated” during broadcasts, Marchand explained how he’s seen the booth evolve, working against both Nantz and Romo.

I have too much respect for CBS Sports top execs and producers to believe they don’t know Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are an issue. https://t.co/7P2y8Q2DXJ pic.twitter.com/37dRgZ0ge5

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) January 19, 2026

“It seemed clear that they had a gameplan going in for Romo to hang back and let Nantz do the heavy lifting at the beginning,” said Marchand. “They tried this in the Super Bowl a few years ago… and it would have been fine if they didn’t mess up the end in the Super Bowl. Tony Romo got the $ 180 million contract as an analyst for a variety of reasons, but his performance: he was a gunslinger; he didn’t know exactly what he was gonna say; he was ahead of the game. Then they tried to make him more of a game manager for the Super Bowl. And now, he’s their No. 1 guy but… my sense is that [CBS doesn’t] fully trust him.”

Marchand then noted moments of confusion during the broadcast, citing when Nantz and Romo seemed confused by a Bills 4th-and-1 play at the goal line, presuming it was a first down.

CBS caught off-kilter on Bills’ 4th & 1. Nantz and Romo confused. No yellow line. No downs in scorebug. pic.twitter.com/oaWGd7aDko

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 17, 2026

“You don’t get that confusion with Buck and Aikman. You don’t get that confusion with Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt. You don’t get that confusion with Burkhardt and Brady. You don’t get that confusion with Tirico and Collinsworth. When you’re watching a game and all of a sudden, you’re like ‘Wait, what?’, that’s usually the broadcasters.

“That chemistry, that trust is not there. That Buck and Aikman Trust, that I know you’re gonna go to the right place there, is not there, and it hasn’t been for a long time.”

Both Marchand and Meterparel ended by acknowledging that while some of this might be nitpicking, the standards that come with being the No. 1 booth command a high bar. And there’s a reason this booth gets criticised, and others don’t.