49ers send Cowboys third-round pick for star DT

Just one season after signing defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a massive contract extension, the Dallas Cowboys are trading him away.

The Cowboys are sending Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers, according to multiple reports. Dallas will acquire a 2026 third-round pick as part of the deal.

Odighizuwa was originally selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The UCLA product quickly became a starter in Dallas, racking up 172 tackles, 28 TFL (tackles for loss) and 13.5 sacks in 63 starts across his first four seasons with the team.

The Cowboys agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $80 million with Odighizuwa before the franchise tag deadline during the 2025 NFL offseason. He continued to perform well for the team, generating 44 tackles, 6 TFL and 3.5 sacks while playing 62.5% of Dallas’ defensive snaps.

Despite his performance, Odighizuwa started just four of the Cowboys’ final eight games of the 2025 NFL season after the team acquired Quinnen Williams via trade from the New York Jets.

Odighizuwa was set to carry a $20.75 million cap hit for the 2026 NFL season, per OverTheCap.com. The Cowboys will save $4.75 million in cap space by trading the 27-year-old while adding another high-end draft asset to their coffers.

Meanwhile, the 49ers had a need at defensive tackle after losing Jordan Elliott to the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Odighizuwa will plug that and will look to invigorate a pass rush that generated an NFL-worst 20 sacks last season.

Odighizuwa wasn’t the only interior defensive lineman the Cowboys traded during free agency. They also agreed to ship veteran Solomon Thomas to the Titans in exchange for a seventh-round pick swap.

Thomas, 30, had 10 tackles as a rotational player for the Cowboys last season.

Osa Odighizuwa trade details

49ers get:

DT Osa Odighizuwa

Cowboys get:

2026 third-round pick

Osa Odighizuwa contract details

Odighizuwa is entering the second season of the four-year, $80 million contract he signed with the Cowboys during the 2025 NFL offseason. Below is a look at the details of that deal, per Spotrac.com:

Term: 4 years
Total value: $80 million
Average annual value (AAV): $20 million
Guaranteed money: $52 million

The 49ers will be on the hook to pay Odighizuwa $57.8 million in cash over the duration of his deal.

Odighizuwa is presently the NFL’s 12th highest-paid interior defensive lineman in terms of total contract value while his AAV ranks 16th overall at the position, per OverTheCap.com.

Cowboys depth chart after Osa Odighizuwa trade

The Cowboys still have a handful of proven interior defensive linemen on the roster after the Odighizuwa and Thomas trades. Two long-time NFL veterans headline their returning talent at the position while Otito Ogbonnia joined the team on a one-year contract in free agency.

Here’s a look at the projected pecking order within the unit: