With free agency closing in and the deadline to use the franchise tag coming Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys were able to keep one of their own off the market, agreeing to a four-year, $80 million deal with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
The deal includes $58 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, Odighizuwa’s agent, Sam Leaf Ireifej, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Odighizuwa’s salary-cap number in 2025 will be $6.25 million.
The Cowboys had discussions with Odighizuwa’s agent over the past few weeks and were able to reach a deal before Odighizuwa could hit the open market as well as avoid using the franchise tag.
This is the latest big-money extension handed out by the Cowboys to a homegrown player in the past two years, following the extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240 million) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136 million) last year. The Cowboys are now expected to turn their attention for a long-term deal with star pass rusher Micah Parsons.
The Cowboys have restructured Lamb’s contract, a source told ESPN, creating an additional $20 million in salary cap space.
Odighizuwa, 26, figured to be one of the most sought-after defensive tackles when free agency began, but the Cowboys managed to keep a key defensive player with a scheme change coming under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
“He’s a homegrown guy who we think is a really good football player,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said last week at the NFL scouting combine.
Had the Cowboys tagged Odighizuwa, which would have cost $25.1 million, it would have been the seventh time in the past eight years they used the franchise tag. The last two players tagged, running back Tony Pollard (2023) and tight end Dalton Schultz (2022), did not sign long-term extensions and left the next year via free agency. The Cowboys were able to sign Prescott (2020-21) and DeMarcus Lawrence (2018-19), to long-term deals after they used the tag a second time.
A third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2021 out of UCLA, Odighizuwa has not missed a game in his career (67 straight with 63 starts).
He had his best season in 2024 with a career-high 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass deflection. He was credited with 54 pressures, second on the Cowboys to Parsons.
At 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Odighizuwa relies more on leverage and quickness than brute strength, but he can hold up well enough in the run game. He played a career-high 860 snaps (77.9%) in 2024.
He has 172 tackles and 13.5 sacks in his four NFL seasons.
The Cowboys have a number of defensive players set to hit free agency in Lawrence, cornerback Jourdan Lewis, defensive end Chauncey Golston and linebacker Eric Kendricks. The club met with their agents during the combine to see if more deals can be made. So far, Odighizuwa is the only one to come to fruition.
