FRISCO, Texas — Osa Odighizuwa is known for two things: dominating for the Dallas Cowboys and wearing his telltale toothy grin. And thanks to the former being evident regularly, the latter is much bigger these days, the impact defensive tackle having officially signed a four-year contract extension worth $80 million with more than $50 million guaranteed.
Speaking only minutes after putting pen to paper on his new multi-year deal, flanked by his agent and his mother, Odighizuwa was wearing the biggest possible smile on his big day.
"It's awesome, you know what I mean?" said the former UCLA star turned cornerstone player for teh Cowboys. "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 [everyday]."
Odighizuwa has evolved from being a third-round pick in 2021 to a starter the defense in Dallas simply can't live without, having proven his value despite multiple changes at defensive coordinator — his work ethic and high football IQ setting a gold standard in the locker room.
"I feel like it just speaks to the hard work that's paid off consistently, working in day and day out, and just making those deposits finally paying off," he said, pausing for a moment to try and absorb the magnitude of the moment. "I can now look at my mom and be like, 'You never have to work again.'
"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."
And as far as the aforementioned work ethic goes, don't plan on that attribute stopping or slowing down for Odighizuwa, someone who lives in the gym and film room with the goal of incessantly trying to find ways to improve his game.
That said, will his first act following the signing of his megadeal be a trip to a car dealership? Maybe a trek to Walt Disney World or a Caribbean island to celebrate??
The correct answer is none of the above, because Odighizuwa is going to dance with what got him here in the first place.
"Don't judge me, but I'm actually gonna work out later today," he said while wearing a look on his face that indicated he thought he might have been expected to say something else.
But anyone who knows Odighizuwa knows what he said was actually very predictable.
And that's the man the Cowboys just made a pillar of their team.
