FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys will take their time on any decision regarding the future of Tony Romo.

On Monday, Jason Garrett bounced back and forth from seemingly saying goodbye in a way to Romo but not completely dismissing the possibility that he could be the team's starting quarterback in 2017, which offers a glimpse into the upcoming discussions regarding the franchise's leader in touchdown passes and passing yards.

"Tony has been such a great player for the Cowboys over the course of his career here," Garrett said. "Equally important is he has been such a great person for this organization. He has been a great leader and an example to his teammates, his coaches and people in the community about how to go about it. We certainly want the best for him, whether he is here or whether he is somewhere else."

Romo is scheduled to make $14 million in 2017 and count $24.7 million against the salary cap. If the Cowboys release or trade Romo, then they will take a $19.6 million hit in dead money. If he is designated a post-June 1 release, then the Cowboys can spread the cap hit over the next two seasons, which would save them $14 million in cap space in 2017 but see Romo count $8.9 million against the cap in 2018.

Romo, who turns 37 in April, has played just parts of five games over the last two seasons because of collarbone and back injuries. He played in only six snaps in 2016 after missing the first nine games of the season with a compression fracture in his back.

Romo's absence allowed Dak Prescott to claim the job. He led the Cowboys to a franchise-record 11 straight wins after losing his first start, compiling a 13-3 record overall with 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.

Yet when asked during his press conference if Prescott will be the Cowboys starter, Garrett didn't fully commit, but there is no impending controversy.

"I don't want to get into all those discussions right now and we'll have those discussions as an organization," Garrett said. "Dak Prescott certainly did an amazing job for us this year. He probably had the best year a rookie quarterback has ever had in the National Football League. And he handled his situation and his opportunity as well as anybody I've ever seen, both on and off the field. He certainly has a bright future with our organization. We'll take in detail about what Tony Romo's situation is going forward. But make no mistake about it, Tony Romo's been an incredible figure in this franchise’s history and he's been a great player over the last 10 years. We've all benefited from his play and who he is as a person."

During the regular season owner and general manager Jerry Jones said it was "tenable" for the Cowboys to keep Romo and Prescott together in 2017. That does not seem practical though, considering Romo's cap figure and what Prescott accomplished as a rookie.

Garrett called the quarterback change in the season a "challenging situation for everybody."

Romo diffused a potential problem with his November statement that declared that Prescott earned the job based on how he played. In reality, Prescott played so well the coaches and front office never had to make a decision. Prescott made it for them, and Romo's comments made the transition smoother.

"The team was just at a certain place and they were handling that situation so well that it was just in the best interest for us to continue down that road," Garrett said. "The challenge for Tony was to kind process that in an unemotional way and get himself ready. I thought over the course of the season he did a really good job of that, and I think he showed who he is."