The Detroit Lions officially have edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson back for 2025.
After suffering a gruesome leg injury in Week 6 of the 2024 season, the star defender has played in the Lions’ first two games and has already made a big impact on the team’s defense.
Hutchinson recorded his first sack of the season on Sunday, Sept. 13, bringing down Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams as part of a 52-21 home win. Another pressure he had on Williams proved even more crucial, as it forced Williams into a bad throw that ended up in the arms of safety Kerby Joseph for the All Pro’s first interception of the season.
Even when Hutchinson doesn’t get a sack recorded on the scoresheet, he can still impact game-shifting plays.
Here are five things to know about the Pro Bowl pass rusher.
Aidan Hutchinson went No. 2 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft
Before starring with the Lions, the Plymouth native was an All-American and Lombardi Trophy award winner at Michigan, where he played from 2018-21.
The Lions pounced on Hutchinson’s talent, bringing the Michigan boy to Michigan’s NFL team as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Aidan Hutchinson had 9½ sacks as a rookie
The Lions made Hutchinson a starter immediately, and he didn’t make them regret that decision.
Hutchinson led all Lions with 9½ sacks in 2022, totalling 52 combined tackles and 15 quarterback hits in his rookie season. For his efforts, Hutchinson was named to the NFL’s All-Rookie team in 2022.
Aidan Hutchinson led the Lions in sacks in 2024 over just five games
After a Pro Bowl season in 2023 that saw him increase his sack total from 9½ to 11½, Hutchinson came out blazing hot in 2024, recording 7½ sacks in the first five games of the season. That included a 4½ sack performance in a Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which ended in one of the two Lions’ regular-season losses in 2024.
Hutchinson finished the season as the team’s leader in sacks despite playing in only five games in 2024, and his absence may have been a big reason why the Lions defense struggled so much down the stretch.
Aidan Hutchinson broke his tibia in 2024
Playing against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 of the 2024 season, Hutchinson broke the tibia in his left leg early in the third quarter, knocking him out for the rest of the year.
It was an injury the Lions withstood through the regular season, as Detroit finished with a franchise-high 15 wins. As the injuries on the defensive side piled up, however, Detroit couldn’t keep the Washington Commanders from scoring big in the divisional round of the playoffs, with the Commanders ending the Lions’ Super Bowl aspirations.
Aidan Hutchinson is in line for a new contract
Hutchinson is eligible for an extension on his rookie contract. And based on the market for elite pass rushers, it could be one of the biggest contracts ever handed out to an NFL defender.
The Lions front office hasn’t clearly indicated when, or even if, they plan on extending Hutchinson. When asked for an update during training camp, Hutchinson kept it coy.
“I have a lot of people in my close circle that do deal with that, so my main focus is out here playing football, playing this game I love,” he said.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aidan Hutchinson update: Five things to know about Detroit Lions’ star edge rusher
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
