The Detroit Lions’ contract for Levi Onwuzurike is smaller than reported, but features a good chunk of guaranteed money and incentives.
When the numbers came in for Levi Onwuzurike’s re-signing with the Detroit Lions , it was shocking to some. A one-year, $5.5 million deal seemed low for a young defensive tackle who appeared to put a major injury behind him and was just hitting its stride.
Now the details of Onwuzurike’s contract are out (on OverTheCap ), and as it usually goes, the deal is actually even smaller than originally reported. In reality, Onwuzurike’s contract is a one-year, $4 million deal with a maximum value of $5.5 million. Let’s break down the numbers and examine what it means for Detroit and Onwuzurike.
Levi Onwuzurike — one-year, $4 million — $3.5 million guaranteed
2025
- $1.5 million salary (guaranteed)
- $2 million signing bonus
- $500,000 total in per-game roster bonuses ($29,411 per game)
- Cap hit: $3,970,588
Nearly all of Onwuzurike’s $4 million contract is guaranteed, with only his $500,000 in roster bonuses not guaranteed at signing. That makes him a near certainty for the 53-man roster, if that was ever really a question for the fifth-year defensive tackle. Detroit is still charged nearly the entirety of that $500,000 roster bonus against the cap, because it’s based on how many games he played last year. Since Onwuzurike played 16 of 17 games last season, the Lions are charged for 16 games of those LTBE bonuses ($470,588) on their cap this year. If he plays fewer games, Detroit will receive cap credits after the season ends. If he plays all 17 games, the Lions will be charged the full $500,000 in bonuses, with $29,411 counting against the Lions’ 2026 salary cap.
So why was this contract originally reported as a one-year, $5.5 million deal? While it’s not explicitly laid out on OverTheCap, it’s safe to assume that there are some performance bonuses built into the contract worth up to $1.5 million for Onwuzurike. Those could be based on playing time, sacks, Pro Bowl /All-Pro honors, or anything of the like. Typically those bonuses are not made public. They will only count against the cap if Onwuzurike reaches those goals.
Overall, Onwuzurike’s $3.97 million cap hit ranks 64th among 245 interior defensive linemen. Or if you consider him an edge defender, it ranks 55th among edge defenders for 2025.
With no reported void years on this deal, Onwuzurike will not carry any cap charge into 2026, which is critical since Detroit’s cap room shrinks significantly next year.