Levi Onwuzurike will not be heading elsewhere as a free agent. An agreement has been reached which will keep him with the Lions. 
Onwuzurike has a one-year deal in place with Detroit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The pact is worth $5.5MM, he adds. After a career-year in 2024, the former second-round defensive tackle will earn a notable raise compared to his rookie contract.
Playing through a back issue during his rookie campaign, Onwuzurike managed to make 16 appearances but only managed one sack. He sat out the following season due to the issue, and as a result questions were raised about his NFL future. The Washington product has played in 26 games across this past two years, though.
That span includes 2024, in which Onwuzurike logged 10 starts a 61% snap share, by far the largest workload of his career. The 27-year-old posted only one sack but added 22 pressures, demonstrating his disruptive presence when healthy. The Lions will be counting on another campaign with that kind of performance as they prepare for at least one more season with both Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill in place.
The latter is attached to a four-year, $97MM extension and he will remain in place for the foreseeable future as a result. The Lions will increasingly depend on cost-effective players elsewhere on their defense, though, so Onwuzurike is in line to continue playing an important role for at least one more season. If he manages to duplicate or improve upon his output from 2024, it would come as no surprise if a long-term Detroit commitment (or one from an outside team) came to bear next spring.
Awesome deal
I know he’s dealt with a lot of injuries, but that’s a no brainer in this market. I would guess he could have gotten more elsewhere.