Romeo Okwara is hanging up his cleats after eight years in the NFL, the last six of which were with the Detroit Lions.
"After some introspection and meditation I have decided to step away from the NFL," Okwara said Tuesday in a post on his Instagram. "The game of football has been the largest part of my life for the greater of 18 years, 8 of which I have been fortunate enough to play at the professional level. 4 of those with my brother.”
Okwara played for the Lions alongside his brother, Julian Okwara, from 2020-2023.
Okwara, an unrestricted free agent this offseason, played in 16 games for the Lions in 2023 after missing a majority of the previous two seasons with injuries.
He signed with the Lions in 2018 after spending two seasons with the Giants, signing with them as an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame.
He racked up 7.5 sacks in his first year with Detroit and led the team with 10 in 2020, earning a three-year extension the following offseason. Okwara, though, tore his achilles in Week 4 of the 2021 season and battled that injury for the next two years.
“THANK YOU for giving this young kid a chance 6 years ago after coming into the league as a Free Agent. My heart is forever with you and the city of Detroit,” he said to the Lions in his post.
Okwara’s official departure from Detroit comes a week after the team bolstered the defensive line by signing D.J. Reader.