10-year veteran defensive tackle David Onyemata signed a new contract with the New York Jets. Onyemata, a former fourth-round pick, spent the 2025 season with the Atlanta Falcons but has also played for the New Orleans Saints. Onyemata signs with New York on a one-year, $10.5 million deal to reunite with Aaron Glenn, for whom he played during their time in New Orleans.
David Onyemata, New York Jets, Agree to Contract
The #Jets have agreed to terms with veteran DT David Onyemata on a one-year, $10.5 million deal with $9.65M guaranteed.
The native of Nigeria, who was introduced to football in college in Canada, signs another lucrative deal done by Carter Chow at @Red_Env_Sports. pic.twitter.com/B1qTTH6JD3
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2026
Defensive tackles don’t always light up the stat sheet, and the raw numbers don’t tell the full story with David Onyemata’s 2025. Starting and appearing in all 17 games, the longtime veteran finished the season with one sack, 62 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, two quarterback hits, and a 78.2 PFF grade, the eighth-best mark out of 127 eligible interior defensive linemen. While he helped solidify one of the better defensive lines in football, it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. Atlanta finished the season with an 8-9 record and lost out on the NFC South crown to tiebreakers.
David Onyemata originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Selected by the New Orleans Saints, the Manitoba product spent the majority of his first two seasons in a reserve role. However, he finally earned more playing time in 2018 and made the most of the opportunity. All in all, he recorded 4.5 sacks, 35 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, six quarterback hits, and a 79.7 PFF grade. With his help, New Orleans made it to the NFC Championship Game but lost to the Los Angeles Rams thanks to one of the worst missed calls in recent memory.
Onyemata continued his brand of good but not great football with the New Orleans Saints through the 2022 season. While he never made the Super Bowl, he helped New Orleans compete through the later years of the Drew Brees Era and appeared in at least 11 games in every season with the team. After seven years with the Saints, David Onyemata signed a new contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He recorded four sacks during his first year with the club.
Main Photo: [Mark J. Rebilas] – Imagn Images
