NFL News: Jerry Jones’ Cowboys open negotiations to keep key player for Super Bowl aspirations

A disappointing performance in the 2024 NFL season saw the Dallas Cowboys watch another Super Bowl from home. Needless to say, Jerry Jones hopes to see a better campaign from his team next year.

The question is whether the front office will make enough moves this time. Jones’ son Stephen confirmed that the Cowboys will make a big decision behind Dak Prescott as they aim to draft a young quarterback, but that wouldn’t be it.

Speaking to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News on Sunday, the Cowboys‘ executive vice president also revealed that the team has started to talk with Osa Odighizuwa’s agent to keep the defensive tackle in Dallas next season.

“We have had negotiations with Osa. I just think Osa is a really good football player. He’s an important piece,” Jones said about Osa, who will hit free agency if the Cowboys don’t extend him before the start of the new league year in March.

Osa Odighizuwa #97 of the Dallas Cowboys enters the stadium prior to a game against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of a game at SoFi Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Inglewood, California.

Odighizuwa has given Cowboys reasons to get paid

Odighizuwa, 26, has been with the Cowboys since 2021, when the team used a third-round pick to get him out of UCLA. He proved to be a reliable contributor since then, putting up interesting numbers in the final year of his rookie deal.

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Odighizuwa was one of the few bright spots in a rather forgettable 2024 NFL season for the Cowboys, recording a career-high 4.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits. Placing the franchise tag on him would cost Dallas $23.4 million for 2025, while using the transition tag would cost $18.9m.

“It’s a tool,‘’ Jones said about these options to retain Odighizuwa. “It’s something we haven’t ruled out using. We’ll just see how this week goes and how our visits [with his agent] go.‘’

Jones believes Cowboys have what it takes to make the Super Bowl

2025 should be the year where the Cowboys finally get over the hump to prove they’re true Super Bowl contenders, and not only on paper. In Super Bowl LIX week, Jones explained that, in his eyes, Dallas has everything to prove its doubters wrong.

“I wouldn’t have signed Dak Prescott, the highest-paid player in the NFL, if now wasn’t when when we wanted to win. This is a shocker to be here at this Super Bowl and not have the Cowboys here,” Jones said earlier in February. “I didn’t plan on that when I made that agreement with him. So we’re going to do everything we can to get there.”