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Aidan Hutchinson

Lions Super Bowl Appearance Would Likely Feature Aidan Hutchinson

December 8th, 2024 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 8: As Hutchinson’s rehab continues, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports the Lions remain hopeful a return in time for the NFC title game could be in play (video link). Plenty still needs to happen for that to become feasible, but having the team’s top edge rusher available prior to the Super Bowl would be crucial for Detroit’s defense.

DECEMBER 6: Aidan Hutchinson sightings during Lions games have become commonplace, and the star edge rusher continues to make progress. It now appears more likely than not the Lions maximizing their game count this season would involve a final-act cameo from Hutchinson.

Suffering a fractured fibula and tibia in Week 6, the third-year pass rusher is now walking without crutches and has progressed to running in a pool. This has created more optimism of a possible return before season’s end. Hutchinson’s recovery has reached the point that it appears the expectation is for him to play in Super Bowl LIX were Lions to qualify, Amazon’s Albert Breer notes.

We heard last month a Hutchinson Super Bowl reemergence was possible, but Breer offers a bit more in the direction of it being likely. This would be game-changing news for the Lions, though they obviously have work to do before this window could be open. It would now stand to reason Hutchinson’s IR-return window could open earlier in the playoffs, and it would be worth wondering if the timetable could include an NFC championship game.

That said, the Super Bowl featuring the bye week appears to loom as crucial for Hutchinson. Dan Campbell said in October that Hutchinson was looking at a four- to six-month recovery timetable. He went down Oct. 13; the Super Bowl is Feb. 9. The NFL’s season-ender coming at the front end of the recovery timeline points to Super Bowl-or-nothing for Hutchinson, though any return being in play would be a win for a Lions team gunning for its first No. 1 seed since home-field advantage became record-based in the mid-1970s.

The Packers consistently tested the Lions’ battered defense in the second half of a 34-31 thriller Thursday night. Detroit has seen Za’Darius Smith produce early; the trade acquisition has three sacks in four Lions games. But the team finished Thursday’s game without both its top D-tackles — D.J. Reader, Alim McNeill — and is not expected to have Marcus Davenport back this season. Linebackers Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez are all on IR. Barnes is not a lock to miss the entire season, and D-lineman John Cominsky could return in the playoffs. The Lions will need to save an injury activation for Hutchinson. They have five left, keeping a scenario in which Anzalone, Barnes, Cominsky and Hutchinson all return. Rodriguez suffered an ACL tear and is out for the year.

Gifted to the Lions after the Jaguars made a potential-over-production pick in Travon Walker to start the 2022 draft, the Michigan alum has become one of the NFL’s best defensive players early in his career. He was the early clubhouse leader for Defensive Player of the Year when he went down, having already registered an NFL-most 7.5 sacks and 17 QB hits — a year after leading the league in QB pressures — through five-plus games. The Lions still do not have another four-sack player, as McNeill leads all non-Hutchinson Lions with 3.5. Though, Smith has seven total sacks if his Browns games are included.

The Lions have plenty of work to do before the prospect of a Hutchinson re-emergence becomes real, but the 12-1 team has liked what is has seen from the soon-to-be extension-eligible EDGE’s rehab thus far.

Aidan Hutchinson Could Make Return By Super Bowl

October 23rd, 2024 at 12:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Lions are favored by Vegas oddsmakers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl after beating the Vikings in Week 8, as the 49ers fell to the Chiefs.

If Detroit makes it all the way to New Orleans on February 9, they could receive a massive boost in the form of injured defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who broke his tibia and fibula in Week 6.

Hutchinson successfully underwent surgery to repair his broken bones last week, with head coach Dan Campbell offering a four-to-six month timetable for his recovery. However, doctors discovered during surgery that Hutchinson suffered no ligament or nerve damage in the injury, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, indicating that he might be able to beat Campbell’s original prognosis and return in time for the Super Bowl, which is set for just under four months after his injury on October 13.

“I would never count him out,” said Campbell after Hutchinson’s surgery. “I would say if anybody can make it back it would be him.”

While Hutchinson’s injury shocked many who watched it on live television, it was a clean break without any additional complications, simplifying the repair and recovery process for the star edge rusher’s leg. The injury also fortuitously took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlingon, Texas, with nearby Baylor University Medical Center designated as the Level 1 trauma center for any major injuries that happened during the game. Baylor’s medical director of orthopedic trauma services is Dr. Alan Jones, one of the nation’s experts in tibia and fibula repairs, placing Hutchinson in good hands immediately after his injury.

Those factors will give Hutchinson an outside chance at playing in the Super Bowl should the Lions advanced through the playoffs and win the NFC Championship Game in January. His injury brought Hutchinson’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign to a screeching halt, but it’s still possible he could help Detroit hoist an even more important trophy if all goes right.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/24

October 15th, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Nichols is reportedly out for the season, per the Cardinals, but Prater could still return after an additional four-game absence. He’s already missed two games so far with a left knee issue. The 40-year-old was a perfect six-for-six on field goal attempts this year while 10-for-10 on extra points.

The Browns lose an important depth lineman in Harris. Harris started games at left tackle and center as an injury replacement this year, but he’ll be out for at least the next four games with an ankle injury.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris reported that Abernathy will be out for a “significant time,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson Undergoes Surgery

October 14th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

4:17pm: Head coach Dan Campbell offered a four-to-six month timeline when speaking to the media on Monday (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). While he did not rule out the possibility of Hutchinson returning this year, that timeframe would still make it a surprise if it such a comeback were to take place.

10:42am: Aidan Hutchinson‘s recovery process has begun. The Lions announced on Monday he underwent successful surgery to repair the broken tibia and fibula he suffered in Week 6.

A rod was inserted into Hutchinson’s leg, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds this injury generally involves a six-to-eight month recovery timeline. No firm timetable was given in the Lions’ announcement, but it would come as a surprise if he were to play again in 2024. Before the news of the operation, Richard Silva and Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News reported Hutchinson avoided the worst-case scenario and that a return in time for the Super Bowl could be in play.

For now, attention will turn to the former second overall pick’s rehab process and how the Lions will attempt to replace him. Hutchinson earned a Pro Bowl nod last season after he racked up 11.5 sacks; he was well on his way to surpassing that total in 2024 with 7.5 before he went down. That made him an early candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award but at a minimum cemented his status as an anchor on Detroit’s defensive line. With the team already dealing with other injuries along the edge (including Marcus Davenport being out for the year), it will be a challenge to remain impactful in the pass-rush department.

Detroit has John Cominsky and Nate Lynn on IR, with James Houston not carving out a regular role so far. Josh Paschal and Isaac Ukwu (provided he is promoted from the practice squad) are among the players who could be in line for an increased snap share at the defensive end spots. Alim McNeill – who posted five sacks last season and is halfway to matching that total in 2024 – will be counted on to deliver against the pass along the interior as the Lions look to remain among the NFC’s elite moving forward.

Hutchinson will be eligible for an extension this offseason, and he had been playing his way into a monster accord with his production before the injury. It will be interesting to see how he and the Lions proceed on the contract front after the campaign as a 2025 return remains the target.

Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson Leaves Game With Season-Ending Leg Injury

October 13th, 2024 at 10:58pm CST by Ely Allen

10:58pm: Rapoport has officially reported that Hutchinson’s broken tibia is season-ending. The loss is obviously huge for the Lions’ defense who will need to triage their defensive ends group, but the loss of this season is perhaps bigger for Hutchinson. The 24-year-old’s incredible production through four games had him in conversations as a potential Defensive Player of Year, albeit an extremely early candidate for the award.

Hutchinson will miss the remainder of the season, but his prognosis to return for 2025 does not appear to be in question. The Lions, though, still have 2024 to contend with. How they will address the defensive ends position remains to be seen.

7:14pm: The Lions experienced an impressive win today in a dominant performance over the Cowboys. In the midst of that victory, though, the team suffered a brutal loss. As star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson tackled quarterback Dak Prescott for the team’s third sack of the day, Hutchinson appeared to suffer a serious leg injury.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that Hutchinson would stay in Dallas for immediate treatment and that “obviously he’s going to be down for a little while.” Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reported that Hutchinson would be undergoing immediate surgery for a broken tibia, an injury he reported to be “season-ending.” The Lions will likely have more tests performed and treatments done before coming to that conclusion themselves.

As Hutchinson descended to the ground in the third quarter, bringing Prescott down with him, cameras could just pick up what appeared to be a bend in Hutchinson’s leg below the knee, a gruesome indicator of a broken bone. The medical carts were rushed onto the field, where an aircast was applied to his left leg before he was carted off the field into the locker room, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport followed that up with a quick report that Hutchinson had been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a lower leg injury.

The NFL’s No. 2 overall draft pick in 2022, Hutchinson has lived up to his draft stock thus far. As a rookie, Hutchinson was dynamic all over the field. Not only did he make plays on an improved defense as a pass rusher, totaling 9.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits, but he also added value as a disruptive force. Hutchinson tallied nine tackles for loss, three passes defensed, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries during his rookie campaign.

Hutchinson avoided a sophomore slump, improving on his rookie numbers with 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, one interception, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two more fumble recoveries. In only four games in 2024, Hutchinson was showing signs of improvement once again. He entered the day with 6.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble, all stats that were on track for new career highs. He added a sack, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits before exiting today’s contest.

Hutchinson’s injury is only the latest of what has been a slew of injuries in Detroit this year. The Lions already have 13 players on injured reserve, including five on the defensive line and eight on the defensive side of the ball. By the end of today’s game, Detroit ruled out seven more players, including Hutchinson.

If Hutchinson’s leg injury is as serious as it appeared, his name will be the latest placed on IR in Detroit. The Lions’ defensive ends room is looking extremely bare with Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, and Nate Lynn all on IR. In addition, or more aptly subtraction, James Houston has missed two games, as well.

Houston suffered a fractured ankle in Week 2 of the 2023 season, and though he attempted to make a comeback late in the year, the injury ended up being season-ending. He seems to be healthy at this point, but a combination of limited snaps and healthy scratches have kept him from contributing this year. Houston made an impact in 2022 as a rookie, tallying eight sacks across from Hutchinson, but lately has struggled to get back on the field. His return could be key during this time when bodies are scarce.

If the Lions can get Houston back to his rookie form, he would likely line up across from Josh Paschal as the starter. One would also expect practice squad edge rusher Isaac Ukwu to get promoted to the active roster after getting elevated from the practice squad today. Past that, Detroit will need to get creative with how it fills out the ends of its defensive line. There’s seems to be a bit of hope that Hutchinson might return late in the year as major outlets and Campbell have yet to call the injury a season-ender, but the outlook is grim for now.

Notable 2024 Pro Bowl Incentives

January 4th, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL released the AFC and NFC Pro Bowl rosters last night. While the annual All-Star event has lost some of its luster (and is eyeing a significant revamping in 2024), a Pro Bowl selection is still a significant accomplishment for many players…especially from a financial standpoint.

There were a number of Pro Bowlers whose selections were tied to contract incentives. We’ve collected some of the notable Pro Bowl incentives below:

Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick didn’t have a traditional Pro Bowl incentive, but his selection will still result in more money. Per Corry, Reddick’s 2024 base salary will increase by $500K (from $13.75MM to $14.25MM) thanks to the Pro Bowl selection.

A handful of former first-round picks also boosted the value of their fifth-year options by earning their first Pro Bowl nod (via Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus): Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Ravens offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum, Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell, and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner and Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain boosted the value of their fifth-round option to the maximum amount with a second Pro Bowl selection.

Beyond incentives, players also get some cash for just participating in the Pro Bowl event. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, players on the winning team will earn $88K, while players on the losing team will get $44K. This even applies to Pro Bowl players who can’t participate since they’re playing in the Super Bowl.

Lions Never Considered Drafting CB Ahmad Gardner At No. 2

December 18th, 2022 at 2:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Lions and Jets are facing off in a matchup pitting two teams which had top-five picks in the most recent draft against one another. While reflecting on Detroit’s approach this past April, Lions coach Dan Campbell made it known that the Jets’ top pick was never on their radar.

When speaking about the possibility of selecting cornerback Ahmad Gardner second overall, Campbell admitted that he was not the subject of serious consideration. “We thought about a lot of different guys, but I never really felt it went there for [general manager] Brad [Holmes] and myself,” he said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We felt pretty comfortable with where we wanted to go with it.”

That, of course, is a reference to Detroit’s intention of adding to their pass rush with their top selection. Aidan Hutchinson allowed them to do just that, after a highly productive career at Michigan. The 22-year-old has been the subject of criticism after his inability to follow-up his Week 2 performance with more multi-sack games, but he leads all rookies with seven on the year. He has added 23 pressures, six tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions, making him a contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year and leading to expectations that he will be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

The same also holds true of Gardner, though, considering the start he has had to his NFL career. The Jets selected the Bearcats alum fourth overall, after he established himself as arguably the top corner in the class. The 6-3, 200-pounder has been an immediate every-down starter in New York, and has racked up two interceptions and a league-leading 16 pass deflections during the campaign. He has been a standout in coverage as well, allowing a completion percentage of just over 52%.

Like Hutchinson, Gardner is a Michigan native, so Detroit choosing the latter would have carried a similar storyline to the one developed by taking the former. Birkett notes that the Lions had scheduled a visit with Gardner, but that never took place. Keeping their attention on Hutchinson allowed them to maintain a starting duo of Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye at corner. The latter has struggled considerably compared to his breakout campaign last season, though, and the Lions’ defense has been among the league’s worst all year.

Nevertheless, both teams are likely satisfied with how the top of the draft board shook out, and they are each in contention for a postseason berth entering the final few weeks of the campaign.

Edge Notes: Ravens, Lions, Browning, Hawks

October 6th, 2022 at 4:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

After letting both Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue walk during the 2021 free agency period, the Ravens acquired a first-round pick in the Orlando Brown Jr. trade. The team entered the draft determined to use one of its two first-round choices on an edge defender, but strategy played a role in the team ending up with Odafe Oweh. The Ravens would have been happy with either Oweh or Greg Rousseau, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes, but also wanted to leave last year’s first round with a wide receiver.

We heard previously the Ravens expected the Packers to select Bateman, whom several execs viewed as the team most likely to draft the Big Ten prospect. That played into Baltimore’s edge defender blueprint as well. The team had Oweh and Rousseau ranked similarly on its 2021 draft board, Zrebiec adds, leading to Bateman being prioritized with the No. 27 pick. Waiting for No. 31 to make its edge rusher selection paid off, as Oweh remained on the board. The Bills took Rousseau at 30. (The Packers took cornerback Eric Stokes at 29.) Through 1 1/4 seasons, Oweh has six sacks, four forced fumbles and 17 quarterback hits. Rousseau checks in with similar production, having tallied eight sacks — four already this season — along with one strip and 16 QB hits.

Here is the latest from the NFL’s edge defender landscape:

  • The Ravens used Jason Pierre-Paul extensively alongside Oweh in Week 4, playing the recently signed veteran on 55 defensive snaps. Their one-year Pierre-Paul deal is worth $1.35MM, according to OverTheCap. The contract includes a $150K signing bonus and playing time- and sack-based incentives that could take the price north of $5MM, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. This is a lower-priced deal than JPP is accustomed to signing, but he has a chance to be the rare free agent to sign in-season and earn potentially far more than the veteran minimum.
  • The Lions will be waiting a bit longer to deploy their two-Okwara edge-rushing attack. Eligible to return from the Lions’ PUP list this week, Romeo Okwara will likely need more time to recover from his 2021 injury, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Okwara, who suffered an Achilles tear just more than a year ago, did not return to practice this week when first eligible.
  • Detroit’s pass rush, when at full strength, is set to include Romeo and Julian Okwara, Charles Harris and first- and second-round picks Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal. That said, the Lions are adding another edge rusher to the equation. Rookie UDFA Demetrius Taylor is going to play defensive end in his debut this week, Birkett notes. Signed as a UDFA defensive tackle, Taylor will shift to a big D-end role as the Lions attempt to pick up the pieces on defense. This will likely lead to Hutchinson, who had previously played the team’s “big end” spot, rushing from around the formation, per Birkett. Taylor saw some time at D-end at Appalachian State.
  • It will not be second-round pick Nik Bonitto getting the call to replace Randy Gregory; Baron Browning will play that role for the Broncos beginning Thursday night, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. This will be an interesting stretch for Browning, whom the Broncos used as an inside linebacker during his 2021 rookie season. The third-round pick moved to the outside this offseason, helping lead to the late-August Malik Reed trade, and has impressed the coaching staff. Bonitto, who began the season as a healthy scratch despite being Denver’s top 2022 draftee, will see more time as a rotational cog behind Browning and Bradley Chubb.
  • The Seahawks will give second-rounder Boye Mafe more playing time, Pete Carroll said this week. This will be interesting considering the rookie logged a season-high 32 defensive snaps against the Lions. Mafe, who has one sack thus far this season, registered 10 in his final college campaign.

Lions Not Considering DC Aaron Glenn Replacement

October 4th, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Adam La Rose

The Lions have shown a dramatic turnaround on offense this season, but their performance on the other side of the ball has led to them owning a 1-3 record. Defensive changes are coming, according to head coach Dan Campbell, but that will not include replacing defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. 

Detroit leads the NFL in points and yards per game on offense one month into the 2022 campaign. However, they rank dead last defensively in both of those categories, as showcased most recently in Sunday’s 48-45 loss to the Seahawks. In response, Campbell, Glenn and the rest of the team’s defensive staff are eyeing alterations to their personnel packages and scheme (Twitter link via team reporter Tim Twentyman).

One of those could involve more diversity in the ways rookie Aidan Hutchinson is deployed. This year’s No. 2 overall pick had a noteworthy second career game with three sacks, but has been held without one in the three other contests. He has six tackles for loss and eight QB pressures, but could be used in different alignments within the formation moving forward, Twentyman tweets.

Glenn, meanwhile, has been a rising name in the coaching ranks around the league. Detroit hired the former defensive back last season, amidst interest from several other teams. That was the case again this offseason, with the Saints eyeing a return to New Orleans for the 50-year-old to fill their head coaching vacancy representing one of many interviews he received. Despite his unit’s struggles early on, Campbell is backing Glenn to retain his position.

“I’ve had to do this before and I’m not afraid to make a hard decision,” Campbell said yesterday, via the Detroit Free Press. “If I really believed that was the cause of it and I don’t believe it is. I believe that Aaron Glenn was the right man for the job and he gives us our best hope, our best option, to run this defense. I just do.”

The Lions will look to improve defensively against another 1-3 squad, the Patriots, in Week 5. New England is facing a number of questions at quarterback, so that game could represent a useful opportunity to begin a turnaround.

Lions Sign No. 2 Pick Aidan Hutchinson

May 9th, 2022 at 10:07am CST by Adam La Rose

The list of rookies to sign their first NFL contracts continues to grow, and now includes the draft’s second overall pick. The Lions have signed Aidan Hutchinson to his rookie deal, as confirmed by his agent, Mike McCartney. 

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport details (on Twitter) that the contract has a fully-guaranteed value of just over $35.7MM across four (or, with a team option, five, years), and includes a signing bonus of nearly $23.2MM. Hutchinson becomes the second top-five pick to ink his inaugural deal, joining Ahmad Gardner of the Jets.

The Michigan native followed in his father’s footsteps playing for the Wolverines in college. His career started to take off during his sophomore season, as he totalled 69 tackles, including 11 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. That led to heightened expectations for the following campaign, but it was cut short by a fractured leg.

While Hutchinson was again the subject of optimism for an overall strong Michigan defense going into this past season, he wasn’t in the conversation to be in consideration for the top pick. That changed week by week, as he authored one of the most productive campaigns in school history, setting a program record with 14 sacks, adding 16.5 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles. That made him a finalist for the Heisman trophy, as well as a candidate for Jacksonville with the No. 1 pick.

Ultimately, the Jaguars made Travon Walker the top selection, leaving the dream scenario in play for Detroit. The Lions didn’t hesitate to pick Hutchinson, making him an immediate anchor of the team’s defense. He – alongside third-rounder Josh Paschal – will look to boost the Lions’ pass rush and continue the overall progress made at the end of the 2021 campaign.

Not long before the Hutchinson signing was announced, the Lions inked their final 2022 draftee. Seventh-rounder Chase Lucas agreed to terms on his rookie deal, per Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo (Twitter link).

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