Detroit Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike signed a one-year deal last offseason, meaning the expectation is that he’ll face free agency in 2026 when the new league year starts in March.
However, that’s
not how it’s working with Onwuzurike. Due to a lesser-known rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Onwuzurike’s one-year contract will toll over to 2026, meaning he’s under contract in Detroit and will remain so when the new league year hits.
Let me explain.
As you may remember, Onwuzurike re-signed with the team in March, just before free agency started. But before Onwuzurike could even practice in training camp, Lions coach Dan Campbell announced that Onwuzurike was out for the year with a torn ACL. The Lions opted to put him on the Physically Unable to Perform reserve list, not the injured reserve list. That distinction turns out to be critical.
Because there is a stipulation in the CBA that a player who is on the final year of his contract and spends the entire season on the PUP/reserve list will see their contract toll over to the next year. In essence, Onwuzurike’s contract was paused in 2025 and will now carry over to the 2026 season.
Here is the provision, in Article 20, Section 2 of the CBA:
Section 2. Physically Unable to Perform
Any player placed on a Physically Unable to Perform list (“PUP”) will be paid his full Paragraph 5 Salary while on such list. His contract will not be tolled for the period he is on PUP, except in the last year of his contract, when the player’s contract will be tolled if (i) he is still physically unable to perform his football services as of the sixth regular season game; and (ii) he is not reinstated to the Club’s Active/Inactive List during that regular season or postseason. For the avoidance of doubt, if the player returns to practice, but is never reinstated to the Club’s Active/Inactive List during that regular season or postseason, his contract will toll.
So, as it appears over on Over The Cap, Onwuzurike is essentially under contract for the 2026 season on a one-year deal, $1.5 million contract—just above the league minimum—with an opportunity to gain more money on per-game roster bonuses.
It’s one more opportunity for Onwuzurike, who has seen his career largely derailed by injury. After missing the entire 2022 season and much of 2023 with a back injury, Onwuzurike appeared to put it all behind him for a promising 2024 season. But the ACL injury threw another wrench into his young career. Since being drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Onwuzurike has played in 41 games (10 starts) and accumulated 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, and a forced fumble.
