As the 2025 NFL Draft has gotten closer this week, some big moves have seemed to be on the horizon for the Detroit Lions that have nothing to do with who they might pick. The first domino there came Wednesday night, when news of a record-breaking contract extension for safety Kerby Joseph came.
Next up for a big contract extension is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. When asked about that earlier this week, Lions' president Rod Wood said "no comment" before actually offering some comments.
"He will be here the long haul, I can assure you of that", Wood said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "We’ll start working on that. And we have a track record of extending our own players, which we’ve done that recently with Sewell and St. Brown and [defensive tackle] Alim McNeill, and I think that Hutch is likely to be coming up soon."
Hutchinson was in the midst of a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season last season when he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg during the Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys. The updates he has offered during his recovery have been nothing but promising, with a video of him running without apparent limits early this month a sign he has essentially completed his rehab.
Lions' negotiations with Aidan Hutchinson are not as cut-and-dry as they might seem
The top of the market for edge rushers has been reset by the four-year, $160 million deal ($40 million per year) the Cleveland Browns gave Myles Garrett to convince him they're trying to win.
The Las Vegas Raiders have also given Maxx Crosby a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension ($35.5 million new money average), which helped set the mark for Hutchinson's looming new deal.
Hutchinson, younger than Garrett and Crosby, has a case to become the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL. Assuming he's fully healthy and the guy he was prior to his major injury, of course. The Lions will pick up his $20.862 million fifth-year option by the May 1 deadline, if only as something of a placeholder for ongoing contract negotiations.
In light of Joseph's new deal, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk outlined the nuances in the Lions' negotiations with Hutchinson.
"It will likely be a complicated negotiation, given that Hutchinson suffered a broken leg during the 2024 season. A new deal will shift the injury risk to the Lions. They might not want to assume that risk until they know whether Hutchinson will be the guy he was before the injury."
"Hutchinson might not want to continue to carry the injury risk after having a serious injury happen last season."
"Without a new deal, Hutchinson will be playing for $5.57 million this year. The Lions surely will pick up his fifth-year option, giving him $20 million or so for 2026, fully guaranteed."
"Still, Hutchinson has every right to expect his second deal. His generational wealth. He’d be getting it but for the injury. The injury was a fluke."
Florio finished his thoughts about the Lions and Hutchinson coming together on a suitable deal with sentiments Lions' fans won't love.
"It could be the biggest test of the new-age Lions, who have rewarded plenty of key players since they commenced their turnaround. If a deal isn’t done, it also will be a test of Hutchinson’s loyalty and affinity for his hometown team."
Barring something completely unforeseeable, it's a matter of time before Hutchinson and the Lions agree to a long-term deal making him one of the highest-paid edge rushers (and maybe the highest-paid edge rusher) in the NFL. It's just not as cut-and-dry as everyone would hope, with his leg injury naturally adding some nuance to negotiations for both sides.
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