The Cowboys will likely use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa if they can’t come to a long-term agreement on a new contract by Tuesday. 

While that decision isn’t final, it was the direction the situation was expected to go, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday.

The projected franchise tag value would be $25.1 million, and NFL teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to put the tag on a player that is a pending free agent. 

Odighizuwa just wrapped up playing out the final year of his rookie deal in 2024, and the Cowboys have been trying to lock him in on a new long-term deal to no avail yet. 

If the Cowboys opt to use the franchise tag, they would have up to July 15 to work out a long-term contract.

Should nothing materialize by that time then the Cowboys would only be able to sign Odighizuwa to a one-year contract and he would become a free agent the following offseason. 

The Cowboys selected Odighizuwa in the third round out of UCLA in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he has appeared in 67 straight games. 

The defensive tackle had an impressive 2024 campaign by recording a career-high 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one pᴀss deflection. 

Over the course of his four years in the NFL, Odighizuwa has made 172 tackles and 13.5 sacks. 

The Cowboys have not turned to the franchise tag since 2023 when they decided to use it on running back Tony Pollard, which eventually ended with him not signing an extension and later leaving in free agency. 

The Dallas Morning News reported that Odighizuwa was likely seeking a deal that was somewhere in the $20 million per season range.