Charles Omenihu is keeping his eyes on more than one big prize in the weeks to come.
The Kansas City Chiefs defensive end said it best in the locker room to reporters following the team's most recent postseason victory over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round: "It'll all be full circle soon for me."
With the AFC championship game coming into view, Omenihu and the rest of the Chiefs' roster is only two wins from completing what no other NFL team has ever been able to do—to hoist the Lombardi Trophy for three consecutive seasons. Super Bowl glory is certainly a primary driving factor for Omenihu, but the pass rusher also knows there's plenty more than that to come.
Omenihu is also in the final season of his two-year deal with the Chiefs, which means he's set to hit the free agent market in the midst of his prime at the age of 27. That means, even with two injury-riddled seasons in K.C., he's got the chance to make plenty of money with another strong showing in the playoffs.
Charles Omenihu has his eyes on some large prizes in the weeks to come.
It was last year around this time that the Chiefs lost Omenihu to a major injury in the first place, after sacking Lamar Jackson in the Chiefs' AFCCG game victory over the Baltimore Ravens. A torn ACL robbed Omenihu of his chance to play in the Super Bowl and required offseason surgery and recovery.
Omenihu returned in late November to give the Chiefs' pass rush a much-needed jolt with his relentless effort and an exemplary combination of strength and burst. It took some time to round back into form, of course, but the Chiefs are now seeing Omenihu near peak form after sacking C.J. Stroud in the Divisional Round while forcing a fumble.
"A sack is cool but being able to take the ball off of the quarterback, that’s what the great players do. [They] cause a turnover and hopefully recover one of them and I just want to keep doing that."
As for whether he feels completely back, Omenihu addressed that question with a mostly positive answer, noting that he's over the mental hurdle of trusting his body again.
"In a sense, yea. I’m to the point where I don’t really worry about my knee. Some things aren’t all the way there, but I know it’s a two-year kind of deal," said Omenihu, before adding with a smile, "but on film nobody can tell."
With another major game coming up on Sunday in the conference championship, Omenihu is looking forward to the chance to do what he strives to do best: make big plays "on the biggest stages" for the Chiefs.
"I hang my hat on playing well on the biggest stages. I’ve done that for the last four years now. I’m just blessed to be able to do that, blessed to be able to be on a team that’s in this position and puts me in that kind of position to make those plays."
