Jerry Jones’ Business Over Brotherhood On Display As Osa Odighizuwa Moves to 49ers

Jerry Jones has been doing an impressive job so far bolstering his Dallas Cowboys while also keeping an eye for the right trade.

Jerry Jones’ Business Over Brotherhood On Display As Osa Odighizuwa Moves to 49ers

Jerry Jones traded Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers (Image via Imago/Dov Kleiman/X)

In Short
  • Jerry Jones traded DT Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers for a 2026 third-round pick.
  • The decision reflects a shift from loyalty to a focus on draft capital for the Cowboys.
  • Odighizuwa was a key team leader and had taken a pay cut to remain in Dallas.

Throughout the 37 years Jerry Jones has been the owner and GM of the Dallas Cowboys, he has tried to balance loyalty and business, even though, on many occasions, his decisions have come back to bite him.

In the previous two seasons, his lack of effort in the offseason saw him receive brickbats from not just ardent Cowboys fans, but also from almost everyone in the media.

They were livid that the billionaire was not living up to his ‘all in’ comment, and rather, looked lost and unable to carry out his job as the lead decision maker on roster moves.

But in this past calendar year, the 83-year-old has made some decisions that have both shocked and, in some cases, impressed them. For instance, his non-exclusive franchise tag on George Pickens was seen as a smart gamble.

On top of that, Jerry Jones also received praise, even from his most staunch critics, after it was revealed that he tried his best to trade for Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby, only to be outbid by the Ravens.

Now that the latter canceled the trade, the Cowboys owner is looking more like a genius for not falling into the trap. However, the team still needs someone to sack the quarterback, even though the defensive line was already stacked.

Cowboys are trading DT Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick.

Adam Schefter revealed on X

This means the owner did not wait to rethink his strategy, and promptly traded a D-tackle, whom he had just handed a four-year contract last offseason.

Jerry Jones did not bother about loyalty

Jerry Jones had three standout starting-caliber defensive tackles on his roster after bringing Quinnen Williams in last season’s trade deadline. With one too many options, he decided to part with the one player he could get the most out of in a deal.

Otherwise, he would have had to trade Kenny Clark, who arrived in the Micah Parsons trade. Osa Odighizuwa was a full three years younger, which would tempt teams to throw a good draft pick in return.

The kick in the pants for Osa here is the Commanders offered far more money last year, but Osa wanted to stay in Dallas and took significantly less to do it. He also just built a new house.

Jane Slater revealed on X

The NFL Network insider added a GIF to suggest she was in tears knowing that a player as loyal as the former third-round pick had to leave everything behind, just because Jerry Jones saw value in trading him.

Another Cowboys beat writer mentioned that Odighizuwa was at the front, galvanizing his team after the untimely death of Marshawn Kneeland last season.

The D-tackle now has to operate his non-profit from San Francisco, knowing it will be a while before he can return to Dallas. It seems Jones had his eyes on draft capital, rather than continuing with his most loyal players.

Jerry Jones has amassed eight draft picks to use in April

An hour after moving Osa Odighizuwa, Jerry Jones also traded fellow D-tackle Solomon Thomas to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a better seventh-round pick.

Jerry Jones has eight draft picks at his disposal
Jerry Jones has eight draft picks at his disposal (Image via Imago)

That means, along with the draft pick he received for sending Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers, the oil and natural gas magnate is sitting on eight draft picks, which he can use next month.

This could point to a strategy, knowing Jerry Jones can be unpredictable when people think they know what he is about to do. Either something big is about to go down.

Or, he is about to set his Dallas Cowboys up for the future with those eight draft picks that should net him enough talent to be successful in the long run. After all, he wants to win more Super Bowls than any other owner before he is done with this world.

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