The Lions are signing edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a four-year contract extension, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and confirmed by Hutchinson’s agent, Mike McCartney. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
The deal is worth $180MM in total ($45MM AAV), according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, making Hutchinson the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL behind Micah Parsons. Hutchinson’s $141MM total guarantee is the most of any non-quarterback in league history.
[RELATED: Details On Lions’ Big-Ticket Extension]
There is little doubt that Hutchinson is worth such a massive extension. The 2022 No. 2 pick burst onto the scene with 9.5 sacks and a second-place finish in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He took a second-year leap with 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss and appeared to be the leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2024 with 7.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in his first five games before a season-ending leg fracture.
Upon returning to the field this year, the 25-year-old picked up right where he left off. Hutchinson has six sacks and six tackles for loss in his first seven games with a league-high four forced fumbles, making it clear that his injury has not affected his game in the slightest. That was probably all the Lions needed to confirm before signing him to the second-largest contract in franchise history.
Hutchinson’s extension is only the latest investment that Detroit has made in their roster. Since April 2024, they have doled out $968.5MM in contract extensions to nine core players, including Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Almost all of those players were acquired by general manager Brad Holmes after he was hired in 2021.
Holmes traded for Goff and drafted Sewell and St. Brown that offseason, but the Lions still finished last in the NFC North for the fourth season in a row. That put Detroit in position to draft Hutchinson, a Michigan native and former Wolverine, a moment that marked a clear turning point for the franchise. Since then, they have gone 41-17 and won the division in two of the last three seasons.
While Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have patiently, carefully built the Lions into a perennial championship contender, Hutchinson’s ascendance into one of the best defenders in the league has given them a game-wrecking element that no amount of coaching or front office maneuvering can develop. He is virtually unblockable in 1-on-1 matchups and has developed an excellent feel for punching the ball out to force momentum-shifting turnovers.
Hutchinson led the NFL with 62 QB pressures in 2023 — 12 more than anyone else — has 34.5 career sacks. He still managed to lead the Lions with 7.5 sacks despite only finishing four games in 2024. The standout edge rusher is already at six this season, having forced four fumbles in Detroit’s first seven games.
Although the Lions being upset in the divisional round — due largely to an injury-battered defense — prevented a scenario in which Hutchinson returned for a potential Super Bowl berth, he has proven this season he is fully recovered from the broken leg. Though, he received clearance several months ago. Showing pre-injury form in games moved him into position for serious negotiations — which had been rumored here for a while.
As of early August, however, no substantive Hutchinson talks had started. It then became clear, despite the Parsons blockbuster, no deal would be agreed to before Week 1. But word emerged by October both camps were agreeable regarding a potential in-season extension. A year after the Lions paid fellow pass rusher Alim McNeill in-season, they are betting big on Hutchinson.
That gives Detroit some important cost certainty, though the team’s extension count is rising. That doubles as a good problem for Holmes and Co., as the roster was short on extension candidates when this regime arrived four-plus years ago. More work will lie ahead for Holmes, who has 2023 draftees Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch becoming extension-eligible in 2026. Of those players, only Gibbs can be retained via a fifth-year option.
Hutchinson entered today in the fourth year of his rookie contract. Because the Lions picked up his $19.9MM option for 2026 earlier this year, this new deal will tie him to Detroit though 2030.
nice.
Jerry Jones, this is how you handle keeping key members of your team. Re-sign/extend George Pickens.
Pickens is playing well but Dallas needs to wait. He needs to show for the entire season that he can stay dependable without the emotional/maturity issues. So far, so good.
If he does one of a few things will happen.
He will get tagged to ensure he stays on the team and likely get pissed and cause issue.
His price tag will go up because the cowboys will be bidding against other teams who need a #1.
I doubt Pickens causes problems going forward. His QBs were pretty bad in Pittsburgh and I can understand the frustration. And his issues were rather minor when compared to other teams’ major headaches. He’s thriving with better QB play.
If he does get tagged, he’s gonna go from making $3MM to approx $28MM next year (with free agency after that). He’s not going to be that upset.
Yea he will. They want “security” for the long term. You underestimate the greed man.
Jerry’s philosophy is to hold off until he has to pay a premium price for the contract. Big money guy.
imo, Dallas would probably be better off spending money on defense vs extending Pickens. They’re always a top offense when Dak is healthy. Defense, not so much.
I have to disagree. When the Cowboys have just one legit WR, good defenses can shut them down. This offense is much harder to stop with two top WRs, a quality RB, and an above average TE.
They have four first round draft choices in the next two drafts. Go heavy on defense on day one and day two of both drafts and let the offense carry the team until they mature/get healthy on defense.
“When the Cowboys have just one legit WR, good defenses can shut them down.”
History does not support this. As I said, when Dak is healthy, the Cowboys are a top offense. A massive Pickens extension is a luxury they shouldn’t buy. They have perhaps the worst defense in the league. They desperately need to upgrade it.
2019 – Dak healthy, 6th in the league in points
2020 – Dak only played in five games but they scored 32.6 ppg in those five games
2021 – Dak healthy, 1st in the league in points
2022 – Dak played in only 12 games but they still finished 4th in ppg
2023 – Dak healthy, 1st in the league in points
2024 – Dak only played in a little under eight games, only had about 22 ppg but that would have put them around 15th in the league
2025 – Dak healthy, 2nd in the league in points
They’ve done all of this with players coming and going. 2024 is the only wrinkle. Dak and their OL makes them an elite scoring team year in and year out. Meanwhile this is the second season in a row where they’re 31st in points allowed per game. I would spend on defense and draft a WR in the 2nd round to replace Pickens, who has a history of being a headcase who could crash out at any moment.
Pickens is behaving himself because he’s in a contract year. Give him guaranteed money with a new contract and see what happens.
Still baffles me how Jacksonville thought Walker was the better NFL prospect.
Anyone who had a television or radio or phone knew that Hutch was the best player in this draft.
Worth EVERY penny of it. Congrats Lions fans.
Agreed. Also still baffles me that Jacksonville kept employing Trent Baalke for almost three years after that.
I mean, it isn’t like Walker is a bim either.
Not as good as Hutch, and that is a given but back to back 10 sack seasons is a pretty good level of return.
Macbeth,
I’m not going to lie, with the way Hutch was able to perform his rookie contract, Walker’s stats were not even discussed or came across my mind lol. People forget that Walkerwas the 1st pick at times because Hutch went 2nd. Not saying Walker is a bad return/player, but man Hutch was a once every half decade or so type edge rusher. It’s pretty cool that he gets to play in his state for the majority of his life, including college.
Walker is a very solid player, but Hutchinson is much better and was a much better prospect.
Wow…why don’t you and raz get a room……and don’t forget to invite Hutch…..
Why are you making it sexual that two football fans share a common sense football take?
It’s always weirdos like him lol. I just enjoy watching star players be star players and get paid like star players with the teams that drafted them.
Because they listened to buckeye fans, who after watching Hutch destroy their offensive line, said he was going to be a bust
I kinda understood the why… until you saw Hutchinson test at the combine.
Walker was a FREAK athlete… and then Hutch went out there and he was REALLY close. Especially in the traits you want out of an edge. The explosiveness. The 3 cone and the broad jump and things like that.
So not much difference in athleticism, one was more based on the upside vs the other one who had the upside AND production.
Really wish the Jags would have taken Hutch… as a Packers fan.
Locked in that total guarantee bag is win/win for both sides
Once Gibbs gets extended it will take some serious cap gymnastics to maintain this but good for them!
It will already take incredible cap gymnastics for 2026. First up a Goff re-structure. Then some difficult cuts.
Hilarious. They same people who absolutely destroyed the Packers for signing Parsons to this type of contract have the completely opposite reaction to this signing.
Packers envy is VERY real.
Well, for starters Hutch’s contract didn’t include the Lions giving up 2 first round draft choices and a starting defensive tackle along with signing him to the massive contract.
So you think they should have given up all that and then not signed him?
They were pretty much committed to signing him when they made the trade.
I agree, but my only point was that Clark and the 2 number 1’s have a value and you won’t know the actual cost to the Pack until you see how those picks pan out. Also, I looked at Parsons contract in Spotrac, 1 year GB is on the hook for 73 million dollars.
I see what you mean.
I thought you were saying they should have just traded for him and not done the extension.
The picks absolutely need to be factored in.
You looked at spotrac and saw a big number? So what?
His cap hits are ~9,~19 and 29M the first 3 years.
Would it be better if they were ~20M, ~29M and ~39M and then the cap hit was 43M?
You realize teams roll over cap from year to year, so the ONLY difference it makes is it allows teams to spend more if they choose to in those previous years.
Also, the salary cap is going up between 9-10% a season with the current TV contract sitting at 10 years, 111B, a deal the league can opt out in ’28 and they will because… it’s actually undervalued.
So when that cap hit is 73M when he’s going into his age 30 season, the cap will likely be about 360-380, there’s minimal dead cap at that point and they’ll just extend him.
I don’t think many people understand how the Cap Works. Goff has a cap hit of ~70M next year. Do you think he’ll play on a 70M cap hit? I mean, I guess it’s possible, but it seems unlikely. What will PROBABLY happen is they’ll extend or restructure it.
Either way, Parsons cap figure in 4 years is… really silly and the Packers aren’t technically “on the hook” for 73M. They’re “on the hook” for 8.8M. A negligible dead cap. That’s if for some reason you don’t want to extend him prior to then… which it seems like they probably would, but who can say…
I thought the Lions may get Hutch on a team discount, but… he’s certainly worth it. He’s a stud.
And when they get McNiel back or… maybe he is back, but when they get those two going, that’s a very good front.
There are some players who change the whole field… The Lions have a few of them.
Sewell lets you slide your OL as he can handle… pretty much anyone.
Hutch gives everyone else 1 on 1’s.
Jameson Williams… he hasn’t been a stud, but his speed is something you have to respect.
Kinda reminds me of the Packers.
Tom is an elite RT.
Parsons is a stud Edge.
Christian Watson hasn’t put it all together, but he tilts the field. You HAVE to help out with a safety when he’s playing.
Packers haven’t done it as long as this Lions crew(not this version of the Packers) but this should be a great matchup for the next few years.
With those guarantees, that’s no team discount. Most guarantees for any non QB ever. But he’s an excellent player and this was a no brainer deal.
As for Lions fans panning the Parsons deal? Grow up. You make that trade for a the DPOY so far this year every day and twice on Sunday. It makes the Packers SB contenders, as week 1 proved.
You are talking out of envy and everyone knows it.
😭🤏
🧀💪😁
Did you mean to reply to me?
Because I’m curious where I said… or even inferred the Parsons deal WASN’T great for the Packers?
I also said “I thought the Lions MAY get Hutch on a team friendly deal, BUT he’s certainly worth it.”
I’m also NOT a Lions fan, so… I am confused as to the point of this entire response.
Nope. Meant to reply to Blue Meanie. My bad. He doesn’t like that I point out that the Lions front office isn’t perfect. Lol
Now that is how you take care and spread the goodwill in the locker room, Detroit and the Philly take care of their players. If I was a player I would real hope to be a Lion or an Eagle. Here you have Hutch coming off a broken leg barely over a year ago and comes back strong and the Lions front office takes care of him like they said they would. Did not wait until the off season put the pen to the paper during the season, way to go Lions.
A lot of teams take care of their players.
The Packers take care of their players. In fact outside of the Parsons situation with Dallas and the Bengals organization, I really can’t think of a team that DOESN’T take care of their players.