Saints Rumors: DT David Onyemata Agrees to New 3-Year, $27M Contract

Defensive tackle David Onyemata has been with the New Orleans Saints his entire career since they drafted him in the fourth round in 2016, and that reportedly won't change anytime soon.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Saints agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal with Onyemata. Garafolo noted the defensive tackle from Nigeria had not even heard of football as recently as a decade ago.

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com noted $18 million of the contract is guaranteed.

Triplett credited Onyemata as "a big reason for the resurgence of New Orleans' run defense, which led the NFL over a two-year span from 2018 to 2019, allowing just 85.8 rushing yards per game."

The 6'4" and 300-pound presence in the middle of the defensive line helps plug holes against the run but has also been a key presence in the team's pass rush of late. He tallied three sacks in 2019 and 4.5 sacks in 2018 all while occupying multiple blockers at times to open up blitzing lanes for those on the outside.

Onyemata is just 27 years old and has proved durable throughout his career, missing just one game in four years because of a suspension.

This deal means he will continue plugging holes in the middle for a team looking to make another run at the Super Bowl after falling short in the NFC playoffs in each of the last three years.