ALLEN PARK >> For some time, Levi Onwuzurike wasn’t sure if he’d be able to play football again.

The Detroit Lions defensive lineman appeared in 16 games as a rookie in 2021, but he missed his entire sophomore campaign with a back injury. Repairing the issue required spinal fusion, a procedure carrying risk. Onwuzurike, in a first-person feature written in 2023, detailed how “there are not a lot of guys who get this surgery and are able to come back.”

It’s why Onwuzurike, 27, is so grateful for his new one-year deal, which became official Thursday, even if it came at a lower price than many thought it would.

“It’s huge, man,” Onwuzurike said of his updated contract, which is reportedly worth $5.5 million. “It’s crazy because you think about the second contract when you’re a rookie. You think about it in Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, so finally to get here, it’s a blessing, especially with what I’ve been through, what I’ve dealt with. It’s a blessing for me.”

Onwuzurike, though he only had 1.5 sacks, put together an impressive season in 2024, posting a team-high (tied with Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill) 45 pressures in 16 games. The prevailing thought, especially after the market for defensive linemen was set by Milton Williams (New England Patriots), Tershawn Wharton (Carolina Panthers) and Javon Kinlaw (Washington Commanders), was he’d be able to land a semi-lucrative deal somewhere, whether it be with the Lions or another team.

Williams reportedly received $63 million (over four years) in guarantees from the Patriots. Wharton got $30 million guaranteed over three years, as did Kinlaw. Onwuzurike had more pressures than Williams (40), Wharton (33) and Kinlaw (30), and his pass-rush win rate of 12.5% was better than both Wharton (10.4%) and Kinlaw (10.5%). Williams (17.7%) ranked fourth in the league among defensive linemen (excluding edge rushers) who played at least 100 pass-rush snaps in 2024. Onwuzurike was tied for 18th.

Set to hit the open market again next offseason, Onwuzurike’s goal is simple: Convert more pressures into sacks.

“It’s really just about making the play once you get there,” Onwuzurike said. “At the end of the day, for some guys it’s a little bit of luck. But really just got make the play (and) have the right guys around you. If you put Hutch to my left, Mac to my right (and) have DJ (Reader) with us, (and Marcus) Davenport, one of us are going to get a sack. It’s going to happen. It’s bound to happen.”

Onwuzurike is the fifth member of Detroit’s 2021 draft class to reach a second contract with the team. The exceptions are safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who this week inked a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, and running back Jermar Jefferson, who is still a free agent but was not brought back on a futures deal at the end of the season.

Those still around include Onwuzurike, McNeill, linebacker Derrick Barnes, right tackle Penei Sewell and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Tight end Brock Wright, who was added as an undrafted free agent in 2021, has stuck around, too. Wright is entering the second year of a three-season contract.

“A lot of us are staying together,” Onwuzurike said. “It does feel good. … It kind of makes it easier to come back when you’ve got Alim, D-Barnes, Penei, Amon-Ra, Brock. I’m missing some other guys, but it makes it easier because all your guys are still here.”

Onwuzurike hopes that familiarity can help propel him to a true breakout in 2025.

“All these guys you grew up with or played with are here,” Onwuzurike said. “Now you don’t got to move. … You know the defense; you know all the coaches; you’re familiar. It’s going to be the same drive. All that starts flooding into your head. It just makes it so much smoother, because you’re familiar.”