Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa has put pen to paper: He’s officially under contract for the next four years after agreeing to an $80 million deal with America’s Team that includes a $20 million signing bonus.
Odighizuwa, who had his mother and agent with him when signing the deal, took a moment to send a message on social media in response to his past self. He shared a post on X from 2022 that read “So glad I started listening to/reading books! The grass isn’t greener on the other side, it’s greener where you water it!”
On Tuesday, now an $80 million player, Odighizuwa quoted the post with a simple message: “Grass looks great, young O.”
How can you not be romantic about football?
In the world of sports, it’s easy to dismiss the efforts of players by ambiguously discussing their “talent.” But we shouldn’t forget the great amount of sheer effort that goes into not only making it to the NFL but sticking around.
“I feel like it just speaks to the hard work that’s paid off consistently working in day in and day out,” Odighizuwa told Patrik Walker from DallasCowboys.com. “I can now look at my mom and be like you never have to work again.”
Odighizuwa was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Expect a big year from him as he will be a crucial piece of Matt Eberflus’ defensive scheme, which will demand plenty from his starting three-technique considering his defenses blitz the quarterback much less frequently than Mike Zimmer and Dan Quinn did in Dallas.
Osa’s future is taken care of. Now it’s time to back up the paychecks with his play on the field.
