Osa Odighizuwa’s $80,000,000 contract turns into heartfelt victory as Cowboys DT promises mom lifelong security

The Dallas Cowboys made a move on Wednesday, inking defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a four-year, $80 million contract.

Odighizuwa's Cowboys career got underway as a third-round choice in 2021. He became an instrumental defensive player through a tough 2024 campaign when the Cowboys struggled with a 7-10 record. His play greatly stood out as he led the team in quarterback hits and was fourth among interior defensive linemen in pass-rush win rate.

On the "Up & Adams" show on Wednesday, Odighizuwa discussed the extremely personal motivation behind his success. His contract includes a $58 million guaranteed contract and a $20 million signing bonus.

"Being able to take care of my mom, I feel like that was the first thing and probably the most important thing — just being able to take care of my mom and my family and making sure that for the rest of our lives, we're going to be good," Odighizuwa said.

With first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer adding new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to his staff, Odighizuwa is seemingly a building block of the team's defensive rebuild.

For Osa Odighizuwa, "the struggle is over"

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In a moment after the signing of the contract, Odighizuwa had an intimate talk with his mother:

"I got to look at my mom, the beautiful soul that she is, and tell her that the struggle is over," he said.

Osa Odighizuwa tallied a career-best 4.5 sacks and 47 total stops in 2024. He has not missed any games since his first year as a rookie in 2021.

The contract positions Osa Odighizuwa as a key player alongside other defensive talents like Micah Parsons. Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie contract and potentially becoming the highest-paid defensive player.

"Now, I'm kind of just playing for legacy and love of the game," he said

The contract timing was clever. The Cowboys sidestepped applying a possibly costly franchise tag, which could have been as much as $25 million, or a $19 million transition tag. The act prevents Osa Odighizuwa from reaching the open market.