Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike will be coming back to Detroit for at least one more season as he has agreed to a one-year deal with the team. Onwuzurike has been with the Lions for three seasons, and after dealing with injury trouble during his first two years, he had a nice season in 2024. He will be making $5.5 million next year with his new contract.
“Staying home: #Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike, just off the best year, is signing back with Detroit, sources say,” Ian Rapoport said in a post. “Returning from a back injury that limited for two seasons, he impressed in 2024. He gets a 1-year, $5.5M deal in a deal done by CJ LaBoy of Wasserman.”
Levi Onwuzurike has been in the NFL since 2021, and he has spent his entire career with the Lions. He played college football at Washington, and the Lions selected him with the 41st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. This past season was a good one for Onwuzurike as he finished the year with 28 total tackles 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. The Lions were without their star DE Aidan Hutchinson for most of the season due to an injury, and Onwuzurike did a good job picking up some of the slack.
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The defense was the issue for this Lions team last season, and it ended up plaguing them in their playoff loss against the Washington Commanders. The Lions ended up earning the top seed in the NFC, so they got a bye to begin the postseason. They were eliminated in the very next round, however.
Detroit knows that they need to get this defense in check ahead of the 2025 season, and they have a lot of confidence in Levi Onwuzurike. Aidan Hutchinson will be back from his injury as well, and that will certainly go a long way. The Lions should once again be a Super Bowl contender in 2025.
