Jerry Jones deserves the majority of the criticism that he gets for his actions as the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. His decision-making has long been spotty at best, his negotiation tactics are often archaic, and there are always inexplicable moves like the Trey Lance or Jonathan Mingo trades that leave fans furious. However, when he earns his flowers, you also have to give them to him.
On Tuesday, per multiple reports, the Cowboys avoided any drama of standout defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa leaving in free agency by locking the big fella into a four-year, $80 million contract extension with $58 million guaranteed.
Now, given the situation the Cowboys are in with the salary cap and needing to lock up Micah Parsons to a long-term extension of his own, that deal might seem quite expensive. However, when you start to dig into it, we hate to say it, but Jerry Jones might've cooked here. The Odighizuwa deal might just simply be a steal for Dallas and Matt Eberflus's defense.
Jerry Jones locking up Osa Odighizuwa earns Cowboys owner an apology
Quietly, Odighizuwa was one of the best interior pass-rushers in the NFL last season. He finished first among interior defensive linemen in both QB hits and pass-rush win rate. He's developed and gotten better every year in the league and has worked his way to become a real force when it comes to forcing pressure up the middle.
This goes beyond just the Cowboys getting a highly effective and young player, not to mention at a position of real need. Odighizuwa's new deal, even at $20 million in average annual value, still only lands him as the 14th-highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL for the 2025 season by AAV. For a player who is still on the ascent but also put forth the effort that he did this pas year, that certainly looks like it could be a bargain.
Furthermore, Dallas isn't completely hanging themselves out to dry when it comes to a Parsons extension or any other moves they want to make. Restructuring the deals of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb could save the Cowboys tens of millions on the salary cap while designating Trevon Diggs as a post-June 1 cut could also save an additional $10 million on the books. There is plenty of room for this team to still operate.
To be clear, getting a good deal with Odighizuwa doesn't absolve Jerry Jones from all his shortcomings. It's not a stretch to say that the owner and titled general manager probably does more harm than good when it comes to running the Cowboys. In this instance, though, he's off to a strong start to the offseason, and any fans who were expecting abject disaster better consider giving Jones at least a mild apology for those expecations after this beginning.