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Levi Onwuzurike, who was expected to become a free agent this offseason, is surprisingly still under contract with the Lions through 2026 due to obscure tolling rules.
However, there are health concerns that could have the Lions moving on from Onwuzurike this offseason.
I recently broke down the injury history of Onwuzurike as well as the curiosities surrounding his ACL.
Here are excerpts from my story:
In July 2025, Dan Campbell stated: "This is something that crept up once the season’s done…. Then probably a month after he signed… knee’s bothering him. We keep working through it and it’s not getting any better. We just needed to get [surgery] done."
Campbell’s comments imply that the ACL injury actually started during the 2024 season and that surgery was decided upon about a month or two after signing the contract. The comments also imply that there was no acute ACL rupture. All this adds up to a suspected partial ACL tear in 2024.
The timing of the ACL surgery so soon after signing the 1-year contract likely raised some questions internally with the Lions.
The Lions guaranteed $3.5 million of his $4 million 1-year deal. This high percentage of guarantee means that the Lions must not have suspected that an ACL repair was in any way a possibility.
If the Lions felt blindsided or kept in the dark in any way, that would likely eliminate any desire to bring Onwuzurike back.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions injury analysis: Levi Onwuzurike concerns, curiosities
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However, there are health concerns that could have the Lions moving on from Onwuzurike this offseason.
I recently broke down the injury history of Onwuzurike as well as the curiosities surrounding his ACL.
For the full analysis of Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal:
Here are excerpts from my story:
Onwuzurike injury history
- During the offseason in 2025, Onwuzurike had ACL repair surgery which ended his season. He stayed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list all year.
- In 2022, he had an L5-S1 spinal fusion. Credit to him as he might be only the 2nd NFL player in history to have come back from this kind of surgery. However, long-term reliability concerns remain.
- He will be 28 years old entering the 2026 season.
Signs there may be a rift between Onwuzurike and the Lions
In July 2025, Dan Campbell stated: "This is something that crept up once the season’s done…. Then probably a month after he signed… knee’s bothering him. We keep working through it and it’s not getting any better. We just needed to get [surgery] done."
Campbell’s comments imply that the ACL injury actually started during the 2024 season and that surgery was decided upon about a month or two after signing the contract. The comments also imply that there was no acute ACL rupture. All this adds up to a suspected partial ACL tear in 2024.
The timing of the ACL surgery so soon after signing the 1-year contract likely raised some questions internally with the Lions.
- How much did the Lions know about the injury before giving him the 1-year deal?
- Did the Lions realize that an ACL repair was going to be a possibility?
- Did the injury become aggravated after signing the contract or did the management plan just change?
The Lions guaranteed $3.5 million of his $4 million 1-year deal. This high percentage of guarantee means that the Lions must not have suspected that an ACL repair was in any way a possibility.
If the Lions felt blindsided or kept in the dark in any way, that would likely eliminate any desire to bring Onwuzurike back.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions injury analysis: Levi Onwuzurike concerns, curiosities
Continue reading...
