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Cowboys retain league's top free agent DT with $80 million deal
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- Cowboys retain league's top free agent DT with $80 million deal
"Deadlines make deals" still ring true in Dallas , but a timely agreement spreads optimism for Cowboys fans. The team and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa have reportedly come to terms on a four-year, $80 million extension to stay with the Cowboys .
The deal includes $58 million guaranteed, along with a $20 million signing bonus. Todd Archer of ESPN expects his cap number in 2025 to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million to facilitate the Cowboys "selectively aggressive" approach in free agency.
Rumors have recently swirled that Dallas was close to a deal with Odighizuwa, and the team was ready to slap the franchise tag on him had an agreement not been made before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Dallas now avoids that situation entirely, but more importantly, the team can move forward negotiating with other players.
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The Cowboys drafted Odighizuwa in the third round, 75th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. The UCLA product has started 63 of 67 possible games and hasn't missed a contest due to injury since his rookie season. PFF credited Odighizuwa with 60 pressures this past season, good for third-most in the league from the defensive interior.
Odighizuwa reached career highs in 2024 with 47 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 23 QB hits.
With an average annual salary of $20 million per season, Odighizuwa is now the 15th-highest paid interior lineman in the NFL. Kansas City DT Chris Jones averages $31.75 per season on his contract, the highest AAS of all interior linemen throughout the league.
Odighizuwa was ranked as the 7th-best available player on Gregg Rosenthal's 2025 free agent list but is now comes off the board in what appears to be a new philosophy for Dallas in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys sign DT Osa Odghizuwa to 4-year $80 million deal
