The Dallas Cowboys still have a trump card to play as they look to tie up defensive tackle Osa osgou for the 2025 season.
The 26-year-old had a career-best showing in 2024 with 4.5 sacks and 47 tackles, while his 54 season pressures was second only to Micah Parsons on the Cowboys roster. Odighizuwa joined the Cowboys in the 2021 NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal, meaning that he will soon be out of contract.
Dallas have tried to tie him down but efforts to extend with a new long-term deal have not been successful, leaving GM Jerry Jones with one option. ESPN reports that the Cowboys are preparing to use the franchise tag on Odighizuwa if an extension is not agreed by the deadline on Tuesday, March 4.
How much is Osa Odighizuwa’s contract?
When Dallas signed Odighizuwa he penned a four-year deal worth just over $5 million and a signing bonus of around $1 million. That has meant an average annual salary of about $1.3 million but he’s set for a huge uplift when he signs his next deal.
As one of the top defensive tackles in the league, and still only 26 years old, Spot estimates that he could command a three-year contract with an annual salary of $21 million on the open market.
To avoid such a large financial commitment Dallas could use the franchise tag to re-sign him on a one-year deal. This would ensure that he remains with the team but they would have to pay him a salary worth the average of the top five highest-paid players in his positionmeaning a huge increase on his current wage. On3 calculates that the franchise tag salary for defensive tackles in 2025 will be around $25.1 million.
So why would the Cowboys use the franchise tag if they are required to sign such a deal? Well the franchise tag only lasts for a year, meaning that there is no long-term commitment and they can look to reassess the situation next summer.
Dallas have done this before to bridge a gap between long-term contracts for key players. In recent years the Cowboys have used the franchise tag on both Dak Prescott and DeMarcus Lawrenceretaining their services until a long-term extension can be finalised.
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