💰 Aidan Hutchinson’s About to Cash In — And the Lions Know It
The Detroit Lions made an easy call this offseason: they picked up Aidan Hutchinson’s fifth-year option, locking him in for 2026 at just under $20 million. Sounds like a lot — but trust, it’s just the beginning.
Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft, racked up 21 sacks and 149 pressures in his first two seasons. The guy was everywhere. But in 2024, his campaign got cut short after just five games thanks to a brutal leg injury (fractured tibia and fibula — yikes). The good news? He’s back at practice and ready to lead the charge in 2025.
And speaking of charge — his next contract is going to cost Detroit a small fortune.
Lions GM Brad Holmes isn’t pretending otherwise. He’s already bracing for the “edge rusher price explosion,” and if you’ve peeked at the market lately, you know why. Myles Garrett just reset the scale with $40 million per year. Maxx Crosby locked in over $106 million. Even Danielle Hunter pulled $35.6 million for one year.
With names like T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons also due for massive deals, the bar is only going higher — and fast.
So where does Hutch fit into all this?
Detroit’s been dishing out four-year deals to its young stars — Amon-Ra, Sewell, McNeill, Kerby Joseph — and Hutchinson will likely follow the same script. Even with the injury last year, if he plays like his old self in 2025, he could be looking at a deal that rivals Garrett’s.
The prediction? A four-year extension worth $160 million, with $124 million guaranteed. That puts Hutchinson just under Garrett in average annual salary but still gives him the kind of financial security that makes recovering from a busted leg feel a little less scary.
And for the Lions? Locking him in now could actually be a bargain in the long run — because if Hutch bounces back and wreaks havoc in 2025, the price tag’s only going to get scarier.
Aidan Hutchinson’s Next Deal? Think QB Money for a Beastly DE
