Aidan Hutchinson is coming off a very tough injury, but when he’s healthy, there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s one of the top three defensive players in the NFL.
One could even suggest that the 24-year-old Michigan product is the best defensive player in the NFL.
The Detroit Lions don’t have to give him a contract extension yet, but sometime in the near future, it might be better to get it out of the way. Hutchinson, who will likely reset the market when the time comes, will only get more expensive.
According to Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports, when the Lions give him a deal, it should be a record-breaking contract.
“Hutchinson is another player who could reset the market. The former No. 2 overall pick is signed through the 2026 season with the fifth-year option. While he’s coming off a devastating leg injury that cut his 2024 season to just five games, it shouldn’t alter what is expected to be a record extension for Hutchinson, who tallied 7.5 sacks in just five games last year,” he wrote.
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Hutchinson is certainly worth the money, but the Lions will have to hope that when he returns from his leg injury, he’ll be the same type of player he has been throughout the first three years of his career.
In five games during 2024, he was looking to have his best campaign yet, posting 7.5 sacks. In 2023, he finished with 11.5 sacks and 51 combined tackles.
The Lions’ defense has been below average with Hutchinson and some of their other talented players, so losing him would only make matters worse.
Hutchinson will be expensive, but if they don’t want to pay him, someone else will certainly take him off Detroit’s hands.
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