Brian Schottenheimer Very Emotional Over Blockbuster Cowboys-49ers Odighizuwa Trade

Players come and go on teams all the time in the NFL, but some players are just tougher to let go of than others.

And that was no doubt the case for Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and star defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.

Of course, the Cowboys traded Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the offseason in a deal that netted Dallas a third-round pick.

Schottenheimer admitted while speaking to reports at the NFL Annual League Meeting that he and the now-former Cowboys defensive linemen "wept" after the trade went down.

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa celebrates after a sack against the New York Giants | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

"Anytime you go through a scheme change, there's going to be adjustments where you move on from an incredible person, an incredible leader in Osa," Schottenheimer said, per Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com.

"That was one of the hard ones. I'm happy to share with you guys, I wept. We both wept on the phone together. It was hard, but that's the nature of the business. And I'm thrilled that he's going to a place that is a great fit for him," Schottenheimer added.

After getting a four-year, $80 million contract from the Cowboys,
Odighizuwa expressed his love for Schottenheimer, saying he was the "kind of coach you can run through a wall for," so the feeling was obviously mutual between the player and coach.

Odighizuwa was a good player for the Cowboys, and an even better person off the field, but it made sense to trade him.

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa takes the field with a flag honoring late teammate Marshawn Kneeland | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On top of a scheme change, the Cowboys had a logjam with defenders on the interior with guys like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark also on the roster and desperately needed a Day 2 pick, which the team didn't have before the deal with San Fran.

If nothing else, Schottenheimer's admission and his overall relationship with Odighizuwa shows how much the Cowboys coach really cares about his players and that will only help in Dallas' quest to build a winning culture moving forward.

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