While the Detroit Lions‘ 2024 season was packed with plenty of highs, it also brought some lows. One, of course, was the team being unceremoniously kicked out of the playoffs just one game in with an upset to the Washington Commanders. But, another low that stung was Lions star edge Aidan Hutchinson getting injured in October during a game against the Dallas Cowboys and having to sit out for the full season.
Hutchinson had always said that he would be ready if the Lions got to the final game during the 2024 season, but now we’ll never know, because that didn’t happen. But, that’s all in the past.
It’s time to move forward and look at the future, and when it comes to Hutchinson, the Lions can now make a big move with the player.
Aiden Hutchinson and the Detroit Lions
On Thursday, May 22, Hutchinson spoke to the media and gave the good, and expected, news that he has been medically cleared and is fully back with the team.
“I’m fully cleared,” he said, adding, “I’m rolling with the boys now and it feels like I’m back to being myself again. I’m really looking forward to the season. I think this is the most excited I’ve been for OTAs in my life. This is the biggest hiatus I’ve had without playing ball so I’m pumped.”
That’s great news. It also means the Lions are able to move forward with Hutchinson’s contract extension, which is likely to be major.
NFL analyst and expert Brad Berreman of SideLion Report notes in a May 23 feature that it’s “now clear for Lions to make Aidan Hutchinson the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL.”
That’s not hyperbole. Myles Garrett is currently the highest-paid edge rusher on the market, following a deal with the Cleveland Browns this offseason for $40 million per year and $123.5 million in total guarantees. But, Hutchinson’s deal will likely eclipse those numbers.
As Berreman describes, in February during the NFL Combine, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he had started contract talks with Hutchinson.
“The decision to pick up his fifth-year option for 2026 was a moot placeholder in that regard, with the final hurdle for long-term contract negotiations to really ramp up likely being the completion of his injury recovery with no setbacks,” Berreman added.
Time for the Lions to ‘Kickstart the Conversations’ for Hutchinson
Now, there’s no reason to wait. During “The Insiders” on Thursday, May 22, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network talked about Hutchinson being medically cleared and how that means negotiations on a contract extension should be able to wrap up soon.
“It does seem like, while there have been some talks and discussions, it seems like the Lions’ move to pay him was waiting until he got fully cleared,” Rapoport said on the show. “Now he is. So now they can really kickstart the conversations, really have those discussions about making him one of the highest-paid edge-rushers in the NFL.”
“Hutchinson, approaching his 25th birthday (Aug. 9), has a case to top both of those numbers in his second contract,” Berreman noted in his feature. “Now that he’s fully healthy, we’ll see (perhaps soon) how his agent and the Lions come together on that deal.”
