If Aidan Hutchinson had stayed healthy all of last season, he was on track to run away with Defensive Player of the Year. It still feels inevitable he'll get a contract extension this offseason, it's just a matter of time-and timing.
There's a case for Hutchinson to wait, and the Lions from a certain angle, to wait until he has a fully healthy next season before getting a multi-year extension done. The Lions can pick up his $19.9 million fifth-year option for 2026 to kick that can down the road just a bit, but that decision could also wind up as a placeholder for the agreement on a contract extension.
Last week at the NFL Combine, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said they were in the "planning stages" for a contract extension with Hutchinson. What that exactly means is anyone's guess.
"Again, we have one (an edge rusher) that’s due for an extension and we’ve already kind of gotten to the planning stages about him already," Holmes said.
Whenever it happens, Hutchinson is lined up to become the highest-paid edge rusher in the league when he signs his second contract. That bar has now been reset.
On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced their agreement on a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension with Maxx Crosby. That new money average of $35.5 million, with $91.5 million guaranteed, makes Crosby the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league (and league history).
The Lions now know the floor for what they'll have to pay Aidan Hutchinson
Coming of his broken leg, the easy expectation is Hutchinson will be fully recovered in plenty of time for Week 1 and back to his typical form quickly next season. The betting markets have had Hutchinson as the favorite for both Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
ESPN's Adam Schefter listed Hutchison, however obviously, among the next edge rushers who will get paid in the wake of Crosby's new deal (with Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson). But there's one thing working in Hutchinson's favor to usurp Crosby, and anyone other edge rusher who is lined up for a big new contract extension. "
Hutchinson (24) is almost exactly three years younger than Crosby (27), and he had the same number of sacks as Crosby last season (7.5) in seven fewer games. Among the other four guys mentioned as the next edge rushers to get paid, Parsons (25, 26 in May) is the only one who's younger than Crosby.
There's no doubt the Lions are going to pay Hutchison, whatever it takes. Ideally the per-year average bar would be a notch or two lower when the deal gets done, but $36 million is the new floor (which could change quickly) and $40 million per year is quickly entering the realm of possibility.
