Was trading Osa Odighizuwa the right call? That won't be answered until how the Dallas Cowboys use the 2026 third-round pick they acquired from the San Francisco 49ers.
In the immediate aftermath, though, Cowboys fans are understandably having a difficult time coming to grips with it all. While Odighizuwa doesn't finish many plays with sacks, he is one of the best at his position at creating pressure. Add in the homegrown factor, and the trade feels like a kick in the teeth.
Well, NFL Network's Jane Slater dumped more salt in the wound when she revealed Wednesday night that Odighizuwa took "significantly less" money last offseason to remain a Cowboy.
Per Slater, the Washington Commanders made Odighizuwa a compelling offer, but he wanted to stay in Dallas, adding that the 27-year-old recently built a new house in the area.
The kick in the pants for Osa here is the Commanders offered far more money last year but Osa wanted to stay in Dallas and took significantly less to do it.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 11, 2026
He also just built a new house. pic.twitter.com/du4GtZE9VQ
Osa Odighizuwa was a Dallas Cowboy through and through
Kick in the teeth? More like an uppercut from Mike Tyson.
Cowboys 2025 second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku's reaction to the trade sums up how the fanbase is feeling.
It's a painful one to reckon with, as Odighizuwa was everything the franchise could have wanted -- and more -- both as a player and an individual.
Following the Marshawn Kneeland tragedy, it was Odighizuwa who carried the Kneeland flag during the Cowboys’ pregame entrance at home games. He also raised the Kneeland banner behind the bench after wins. He was a rock in helping the team navigate the tragedy.
It takes a special human to take that responsibility head-on.
If Odighizuwa had it his way, he would have been a Cowboy for life. Unfortunately, very few players spend their entire careers with one team. Even within the last 20 years, franchise greats like DeMarcus Ware and Tyron Smith both finished their careers elsewhere.
Odighizuwa won't be the last Cowboy to get traded despite their love for the city and franchise. In a vacuum, though, Dallas had a justifiable reason for moving on.
With Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith all signed to market-setting deals, it would have been hard to justify paying three defensive tackles $20 million per year. Odighizuwa became the odd man out due to his questionable fit in Christian Parker's system.
Trading Odighizuwa doesn't save a ton of money this year, but it gives the front office enough flexibility to make a splash on the defensive line -- perhaps for an edge rusher -- and it now has the No. 92 overall pick in next month's draft when it previously didn't have a Day 2 selection.
It's easy to see how the move can benefit Dallas, but Slater's revelation makes it a lot harder to swallow.