The Detroit Lions made the move to keep Romeo Okwara in the mix, and the defensive end coming back to the team is big news given his ability to wreck a game on defense.
One place fans have likely been watching closely is the contract game. Until now, only rough estimates were provided about what Okwara would make, but moving forward into 2021, it’s clear the defender has a friendly contract with which the Lions can operate.
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A few days after the deal was officially revealed, some closer details were provided on the deal courtesy of ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
Details of Romeo Okwara’s 3-year, $37 million contract with signing bonus of $14 million per roster management system.
2021: $1 million base salary fully guaranteed; Cap hit $4.5 million
2022: $11 million base salary ($5 million fully guaranteed, add’l… t.co/dqnde2xCQ7
The deal starts off small in 2021 at $4.5 million to allow the Lions some breathing room, then gets bigger as the next few seasons draw on. In 2022 and 2023, the cap hit expands to $14.5 million. Obviously, Okwara is still going to be compensated handsomely for his work rushing the passer. It’s also nice for him to give the Lions a chance to catch their breath with regards to the contract in the time being.
Give the Lions credit for still paying Okwara and give Okwara credit for giving the Lions a bit of a break early on. To this end, the contract seems fair all the way around.
Romeo Okwara Returned for Lions’ Family Ties
A strong market was promised for Okwara considering a lack of defensive line options in the draft, but the bad news for the rest of the league was Okwara never made it to the period. Why is that? It could have had everything to do with his brother Julian Okwara.
Speaking with the media after the deal was made official, Okwara explained it was very important to him to continue his career with the Lions thanks to the presence of his brother in the Motor City. As he said, it was a dream come true to share the same field with him in 2020, and he wanted that to be the case moving forward.
Romeo Okwara said re-signing with the Lions was a “simple decision,” said it was important to play with his brother and fulfill they vision they have for the Lions. “It’s huge,” he said of playing with his brother.
Playing with his brother, Julian, was really important to Romeo Okwara. Said he felt like there would have been a market for him but this was something he considered priceless.
Also noted both their contracts end at the same time three years from now.
Perhaps not ironically, Okwara’s contracts expire at the same time, so get ready for three more seasons of the duo in Detroit. It will certainly be interesting to watch and see how much damage the pair can do during that time, how good they can make the Detroit defense and where their careers go.
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Romeo Okwara Stats
If there’s been one dangerous pass rusher this past season for the Lions that has stepped up, it’s Okwara, who came alive at the right time for Detroit most of the 2020 season. As a whole this season, Okwara managed to collect the most sacks of any Lions player (10) and he also thrives on creating pressure and panic in the pocket. With this in mind, it’s fair to say that Okwara figures to drive the bus for Detroit in terms of pass rush and has been going it alone most of the time in Detroit. That could only boost his stock when all is said and done this offseason.
As a whole, Okwara has 16 sacks to this point in his career coming into 2020 and lost a few seasons to nagging injuries. This season, he looked all but sure to pass his high water mark of 7.5 sacks from a few years back and that happened easily.
Okwara represented the entirety of the Detroit pass rush himself last season, which is why he managed to make a lot of money for himself and stick around with the Lions.
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Romeo Okwara’s New Contract Provides Lions Early Discount