New York Giants Okwara signed with the
New York Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. Okwara made his first start replacing
Jason Pierre-Paul in a 10–7 victory over the
Dallas Cowboys on December 11, 2016. On October 17, 2017, Okwara was placed on
injured reserve with a knee sprain. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 19, 2017. On September 4, 2018, Okwara was waived by the Giants.
Detroit Lions On September 5, 2018, Okwara was claimed off waivers by the
Detroit Lions. On October 7, 2018, against the
Green Bay Packers, Okwara
strip sacked quarterback
Aaron Rodgers for a
fumble recovery. He played in 15 games with 15 starts, finishing with 39 combined
tackles, a team-leading 7.5
sacks, and a forced fumble. On March 1, 2019, Okwara signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions. Okwara was placed on the active/
non-football injury list at the start of
training camp on August 2, 2020. He was activated on August 14, 2020. In Week 7 of the 2020 season against the
Atlanta Falcons, Okwara recorded two sacks on
Matt Ryan, including a strip sack which was recovered by the Lions, during the 23–22 win. In Week 15 against the
Tennessee Titans, Okwara recorded a sack on
Ryan Tannehill in the
endzone for a
safety during the 46–25 loss. Okwara had ten sacks for the 2020 season, while the rest of the Lions team only totaled 14. In Week 17 against the
Minnesota Vikings, Okwara recorded his tenth sack of the season on
Kirk Cousins during the 37–35 loss. During the 2020 season, Okwara recorded the same amount of sacks as he did during the rest of his career. On March 17, 2021, Okwara signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Lions. On October 5, 2021, Okwara was placed on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles in Week 4. On August 23, 2022, Okwara was placed on the reserve/
physically unable to perform list to start the season. He was activated on December 3. After his contract was done with the Lions, Okwara announced he was retiring from the
NFL at the age of 28 on March 19, 2024. He played the last four seasons of his career with his younger brother
Julian Okwara. ==Personal life==