NFL fans call out Cowboys as Jerry Jones’ team gears up to pay $25,100,000 to Osa Odighizuwa - “Dysfunctional franchise” 

Osa Odighizuwa was expected to leave the Dallas Cowboys and test the market, but on Sunday, reports came out that the franchise will apply the franchise tag on the defensive tackle, preventing him from reaching the market while they try to negotiate a contract extension.

Odighizuwa was a third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2021, developing into an important player for Dallas' defense, with 13.5 sacks and 58 quarterback hits in four years. However, with the franchise tag for the position set at $25.1 million, the analysts believe that this would be an extremely overpriced one-year deal if no extension is agreed.

NFL and Cowboys fans feel the same way. Even though Odighizuwa is a fine player, the numbers involved in the tag do not feel fair.

"Slightly above average paying him like he’s elite. My goodness", said one fan.

"Paying good players great money. Nobody better than Dallas", said a second one.

"He’s not worth 25 million. Are they being serious?", a third fan asked.

The deadline for applying the franchise tag on players is March 4. If the Cowboys aren't able to strike a long-term deal with the player, the tag will be applied. It doesn't mean that Dallas will give him $25 million this year. This number could be lowered with an extension.

How much cap space do the Cowboys have?

Jerry Jones' franchise has a lot of work to do before the new league year kicks in on March 12. According to Spotrac, a website specializing in contracts from all four major American leagues, Dallas is currently over the cap, with a figure of $-285,470.

Applying the tag on Odighizuwa would add $25 million to this. But they can also clean up cap space in the next few days by restructuring large contracts, such as the one signed by Dak Prescott, to move money around. This way, they would comply with the salary cap on March 12.

A new contract for Odighizuwa would also give the franchise an opportunity to spread his cap hit around for many years. But to enter the offseason with negative cap space is never a good thing.