Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa is beaming after inking a four-year, $80 million contract ahead of free agency.
"It's awesome, you know what I mean?" he told the team's official website. "I love Dallas, love playing for this organization, love being a Cowboy -- so the fact that I get to do it for another four years, and I get a very, very large pay increase to do it.
"It's not that I wasn't already happy doing the work, but I'm just going to have an even bigger smile on my face when I come to the building [every day]."
A third-round pick out of UCLA in 2021, Odighizuwa earned his pay bump as an interior disruptor and penetrator, racking up 13.5 sacks over four years. It was vital the Cowboys not let their best interior player out of the building.
At first blush, the contract appears eminently team-friendly, with a $20 million per year average currently placing him 15th among interior defenders. Given the amount of cash some clubs have to toss around in free agency and the dearth of difference-making big men hitting the market, Odighizuwa might have made much more if he had reached free agency. A franchise tag this season -- if the Cowboys followed through on that plan -- would have earned him $25.12 million for one year.
The 26-year-old sought longer-term security even if he took a lighter bag. His reasoning for inking the deal adds context to that decision.
"I can now look at my mom and be like, 'You never have to work again,'" he said. "That's really what this has all been about, you know? So being able to do that, man, it's still kind of registering. It doesn't even feel real at this point. I'm just kind of soaking it in."
After last year's frustrating offseason spilled into a disappointing regular season, Cowboys fans should be thrilled they kept one of the top potential free agents off the market for a relatively inexpensive cost.
