The Dallas Cowboys have confirmed that they are still trying to reach an agreement to extend Tony Romo's contract with the side before the start of the 2013 NFL season.

The quarterback, who is entering the final year of his current deal, has played for the Cowboys since he was drafted in 2003.

Executive vice-president of the franchise, Stephen Jones, told ESPN: "There's never really a start or stop time with Tony. I do think it will get done. Quarterbacks take precedence.

"We were never going to be big players in free agency this year. We played there last year, and we felt like we did some good things, and we've got to see what the end results are. A big focus for us is on this draft. We need to draft well."

The Cowboys missed out on a place in the playoffs in 2012 after finishing third in the NFC East.