Lions Re-Sign Romeo Okwara

The Lions are keeping their best player on defense.

The Detroit Lions and defensive end Romeo Okwara are staying together.

Okwara has agreed to a three-year deal worth $39 million, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday. 

After a career year with 10 sacks, Okwara decided to keep Detroit his home and subsequently will continue to play alongside his brother Julian, whom the team drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.  

Okwara was a bright spot for a defense that simply failed to perform on a weekly basis in 2020.

The Lions simply could not afford to lose a solid contributor just entering his prime. 

The talented duo of Romeo and Julian could anchor Detroit's defense for several seasons to come.

Detroit was not willing to place the franchise tag on wideout Kenny Golladay, likely signaling the end of his tenure in Motown. 

For Detroit's defense, more work will continue to take place at linebacker and in the secondary -- two positions that also struggled mightily for the Lions' defense last season. 

“Going through the roster with Dan Campbell, it kind of goes on top of what Dan’s been saying, what I’ve been saying from the get-go; I’ve been very fortunate to be in a position to work with a head coach that sees things eye-to-eye," general manager Brad Holmes said last month. "That’s been the case from the very get-go, to the point where I think to myself, ‘Is this how it normally is?’ But, it is. It’s truly been like a dream, just in terms of being able to work with a guy like Dan. But, going through the roster in general and us going through it and us seeing so many things eye-to-eye, in terms of where our starters were in terms of where we need depth, I would say that there are some pieces that we definitely need to add."

The official start of free agency is March 17 at 4 p.m. EST. 

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