New Orleans Saints Onyemata was selected by the
New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the
2016 NFL draft as the 120th overall pick. He was the first player from the University of Manitoba ever selected for the
NFL draft, and the twelfth NFL draft pick from the CIS (now U Sports). The Saints traded their fifth round picks for 2016 and
2017 to
Washington in order to draft Onyemata. He was also selected by the
Saskatchewan Roughriders in the fourth round of the
2016 CFL draft. In 2018, Onyemata played in all 16 games with four starts, recording 35 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Onyemata was suspended the first game of the 2019 season for violating the league's substances of abuse policy. He was reinstated to the active roster on September 10, 2019. On March 18, 2020, Onyemata signed a three-year, $27 million contract extension with the Saints. In Week 9 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on
Sunday Night Football, Onyemata recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by
Tom Brady during the 38–3 win. On March 3, 2021, Onyemata agreed to convert part of his $7 million base salary into a signing bonus to free up cap space for New Orleans. On July 16, Onyemata was suspended six games by the NFL after testing positive for a banned substance.
Atlanta Falcons On March 16, 2023, Onyemata signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the
Atlanta Falcons, reuniting him with his former Saints position coach,
Ryan Nielsen, who was named the Falcons
defensive coordinator. In his three years in Atlanta, Onyemata was an every-game starter as an interior defensive lineman, posting career numbers across the board.
New York Jets On March 12, 2026, Onyemata signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the
New York Jets. ==NFL career statistics==