Okwara: ‘No-brainer’ to stay in Detroit
The Lions’ front-office brass — led by first-year general manager Brad Holmes — was able to breathe a little easier Monday, after finding out that Romeo Okwara, its biggest defensive free agent this offseason, had decided to re-sign with the franchise.
The emerging defensive end inked a three-year, $39 million contract to return to the team that picked him up off the waiver wire from the N.Y. Giants in September of 2018.
Okwara’s decision to stay in Detroit was an easy one, too.
In fact, it was a “no-brainer,” according to the 25-year-old, who expressed as much during a video conference with Detroit media Wednesday.
“At the end of the day, for me, it was a pretty simple decision,” Okwara told reporters. “Being able to play with my brother (Julian), and I guess continue that, what we wanted, our vision we have and what we want to get done in the city of Detroit, that was very important to me. So, it was kind of a no-brainer for me.”
Okwara played in all 16 games a year ago, and led the Lions with 10 sacks and 18 QB hits.
Family affair
Romeo’s brother Julian was drafted by the Lions in the third
round (No. 67 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
He only suited up for six games as a rookie due to injury.
Yet, he’s already made a big impact on the organization. He played a “huge” factor in Romeo deciding to stay in the Motor City.
“Yeah, it’s huge (having Julian as a teammate). We obviously went through last year, but he went through most of last year injured,” Okwara said. “So, we didn’t
get that time to really be on the field together. And obviously through college, we weren’t at ND (Notre Dame) at the same time. We were separated for a little while. And being able to share that time, especially with my brother on the same team, is kind of unbelievable and priceless. So, that was very important for me.”
Both Romeo’s deal and Julian’s rookie contract are set to expire at the conclusion of the 2023 season.