Aidan

Hutchinson

Good thing, too, because the entire rest of the Lions defense found their way on to this report. Terrion Arnold (concussion), Kerby Joseph (knee) and Josh Paschal (back) were all ruled out. D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Amik Robertson (hamstring) are questionable. Both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should see slight matchup uggrades given the CB injuries.

Hutchinson leads the NFL with 57 quarterback pressures, and his eight sacks tie for seventh, so an absence against the Eagles this weekend would be significant. The Lions’ star defensive lineman still has time to get right, but this is one worth watching. Lions EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad is second on the team with just 37 quarterback pressures.

The mega-deal includes $141 million in guarantees, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It’s the most guaranteed money ever for a non-quarterback in the NFL. Hutchinson, 25, who’s now signed with Detroit through 2030, has been stellar in 2025, recording six sacks and forcing four fumbles through seven games. He has 34.5 sacks in 46 NFL games since entering the league in 2022. Pro Football Focus grades Hutchinson as the league’s second best pass rusher behind Micah Parsons.

Fowler is unconvinced that Hutchinson will beat the four-year, $186 million deal signed by Packers EDGE Micah Parsons, but it should be plenty lucrative and on par with “quarterback money.” The Lions’ 25-year-old pass rusher currently ties for a positional high in quarterback pressures (31) and ties for second in sacks (six). The Lions face off against the Chiefs in Week 6’s Sunday Night Football game on NBC, and Chiefs EDGE George Karlaftis is the player with whom Hutchinson is tied in the former category. Karlaftis signed a four-year, $93 million extension through 2030 in July.

As Rapoport notes, the Lions have made deals during the season in the past, but there’s no guarantee the two sides reach an agreement anytime soon. Hutchinson has one base year remaining on his rookie contract and another season for the fifth-year option, which has already been exercised. That gives them plenty of time to hammer out the specifics of an extension that is guaranteed to make Hutchinson the highest-paid defender in the league.

Hutchinson has been “flying,” according to the Lions’ veteran quarterback. The 24-year-old EDGE defender beat Penei Sewell for a sack with his patented spin move in a viral practice clip sent out by the team Friday, seemingly confirming Goff’s assessment. Hutchinson looks ready to start the season, the only question will be if he and the Lions agree on a massive new contract before the offseason is over.

Regarding the potential contract’s value, Rapoport said, “we’ll see where it ends up landing” in relation to Myles Garrett and the other top EDGE players. Top-tier players generally reset their positional market, in terms of average annual value, and Rapoport’s phrasing leaves some room for interpretation as to whether that will be the case here. Hutchinson is inarguably one of the best EDGE defenders in the league, but he is returning from a serious injury, having suffered season-ending tibia and fibula fractures in October 2024.

Hutchinson went down with the devastating leg injury in Week 6 and missed the remainder of the season. He was, however, expected to return for the Super Bowl if Detroit made it that far, so being full-go at this point isn’t much of a surprise. Hutchinson totaled 7.5 sacks in five appearances last year, putting him on pace for 25.5 sacks over a 17-game season. He was easily Pro Football Focus’s top-graded pass-rusher and was on his way to taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award before going down. He will be eying the hardware this time around as well and is in line for a record-breaking extension. Hutchinson has two years left on his current contract, but the Lions may get out ahead of things with a new deal for him this summer.

Detroit is reportedly working towards a long-term extension with Hutchinson, so this is a no-brainer for them. Hutchinson fractured his fibula against the Cowboys in Week 6, but was looking like he’d taken a turn towards stardom before that. He finished the 2025 campaign with 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble, as well as a 94.9 PFF defensive grade. Entering his age-25 season, the return of Hutchinson should help keep the Lions near the top of the NFC North in 2025.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes talked about the Lions being in the “planning stages” of getting Hutchinson extended at the combine. Pouncy speculates that the Lions could save a million or two beating the notoriously slow-moving Cowboys front office to their extension on Micah Parsons. Hutchinson is entering the final year of his rookie contract and the Lions will almost certainly pick up his fifth-year option, giving the team plenty of leverage to negotiate from. The star EDGE was on an All-Pro pace last season before fracturing his tibia and fibula against the Cowboys in Week 6.