CBS' Tony Romo, Jim Nantz discuss chemistry amid criticisms

CBS lead NFL analyst Tony Romo and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz discussed their on-air chemistry as they prepare to call this Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. 

"I think we laugh more than people expect," Romo told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. "Could you imagine doing this job if you didn’t like the people you’re around each day? It would eventually hit a head. It just couldn’t last. It’s like a marriage in some ways. You’re constantly with each other. You’re constantly doing a job, and you want to be great at it and you’re highly competitive." 

Andrew Marchand previously mentioned for the New York Post that Romo and CBS agreed to a 10-year contract worth up to $180M in February 2020 when the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was widely viewed as the most popular NFL analyst among fans. However, Romo's dedication to studying for game assignments has repeatedly been questioned by viewers and media members across the past few seasons, and Fox's Greg Olsen has replaced Romo atop power rankings for network analysts. 

Marchand wrote for his column in January that Romo and Nantz were "a mess with Super Bowl 2024 barreling toward them" because the two lacked "chemistry, storytelling, much strategy and levity." Meanwhile, Nantz told Deitsch that on-air chemistry is "the secret sauce to broadcasting," a sauce the duo may be missing ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

"I just have the scope of a lot of years, and this is a very special group that we have," Nantz said during the chat with Deitsch. "Our families are close. Our kids are close. It’s a pretty good life." 

With Tom Brady on track to begin working as Fox's lead NFL analyst next season, Olsen could look to land a gig with a different network at a time when Romo may allegedly care more about his golf game than being a top-tier analyst. Then again, Romo and Nantz could at least temporarily silence critics if they deliver their best performance of the campaign in front of a worldwide audience on Sunday. 

"Everyone’s great who is on this crew. I feel fortunate that we have people that I want to be around that are smart, funny, good-hearted and can go out there and help us be great each week," Romo added while speaking with Deitsch.