A strong finish to the 2025 season has netted Odafe Oweh a huge pay day.
The edge rusher is signing a four-year, $100 million deal with the Washington Commanders, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Monday. The contract includes $68 million in guaranteed money, per Rapoport and Garafolo.
Oweh's average annual salary lands him between the likes of Montez Sweat and Nik Bonitto among edge rushers, a per-year compensation rate that would have been considered absurd prior to Oweh's midseason move to the Chargers.
Ah, how beautiful (and lucrative) and change of scenery can be. After being shipped from Baltimore to Los Angeles (in exchange for veteran safety Alohi Gilman and a Day 3 draft pick) prior to Week 6, Oweh found an excellent fit in Jesse Minter's defense, piling up 7.5 sacks and a 17.3 QB pressure percentage while rushing opposite future Pro Football Hall of Famer Khalil Mack with the Chargers. When the lights shined brightest on Wild Card Weekend, Oweh delivered his best performance, sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye three times while forcing two fumbles in a game that would have been a blowout if not for the efforts of the Chargers defense.
In terms of production, Oweh has enjoyed his best seasons in his last two years. The 2021 first-round pick of the Ravens logged 10 sacks in Baltimore in 2024 but struggled to make the same impact for a battered defensive front in 2025, benefitting from a more favorable change of scenery in Los Angeles, a perfectly timed move that walked him into a favorable edge-rusher market.
Washington stepped up as the most interested party, using their copious cap space to bring Oweh to the negotiating table and lavishing a massive contract on an edge rusher who needs the right fit to truly pay off the investment.
In Washington, Oweh walks into a situation with a team that needed an edge rusher and presented a welcoming environment thanks to the presence of defensive tackle Daron Payne and fellow edge rusher Dorance Armstrong. Despite their struggles, the Commanders proved they could help individuals succeed statistically within their defense, as evidenced by 36-year-old Von Miller's 9.0 sacks in 2025.
After an incredibly disappointing 2025 showing in which Washington finished dead last in total defense, coach Dan Quinn enters 2026 under pressure to produce, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Big swings in free agency were likely needed, and the Commanders didn't shy from taking one on Oweh with the hopes he can be the contributor he's been over the last two seasons -- and perhaps more.
