One of the longest-tenured Detroit Lions is calling it quits, three months ahead of his 29th birthday.

On his Instagram page, veteran defensive end Romeo Okwara announced that he is retiring from football after eight NFL seasons, six of which were with the Detroit Lions. Okwara stated in the post that the decision came following, “some introspection and meditation.”

Okwara had been a member of the Lions since 2018, emerging as a standout pass-rusher after two seasons with the New York Giants. His leadership helped the Lions grow into a playoff contender following a painful five-year rebuild in Detroit.

The Notre Dame product joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2016. After being waived, he was picked up by the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2018 season.

Okwara stood out with 7.5 sacks, one pass breakup and a forced fumble in 15 games with Lions. Though he had just 1.5 sacks the following year, Okwara regained his star-like form by posting a career-high 10 sacks in the 2020 campaign.

Romeo Okwara’s younger brother, Julian, also previously played for the Detroit Lions (2020 to 2023) before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles last month. Julian was a third-round draft pick (67th overall) by the Lions in 2020 following a successful tenure at Notre Dame.

Romeo Okwara Had His Best Years With The Detroit Lions

Okwara walks away from the game of football with 25 career sacks, six pass breakups and six forced fumbles in 92 NFL games (32 starts). 24 of those sacks came when he was a member of the Detroit Lions.

After staying patient through a rebuild, Okwara finally got to enjoy a postseason break through in Detroit when the Lions made the postseason in 2023. The club won its first division title since 1993 and reached its first NFC Championship Game since 1991, where they went on to fall to the San Francisco 49ers.

With Okwara now gone, the Detroit Lions have a considerable leadership void to fill in the locker room.