The NFL offseason is full of twists and turns, including one involving Detroit Lions edge Aidan Hutchinson, who is regarded as one of the team’s top players. Hutchinson broke his left fibula and tibia during the Lions’ Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys, after already recording 7.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 45 quarterback pressures.
Hutchinson talked all season about being healthy enough to play in the Super Bowl, but the Lions didn’t make it. Now, Hutchinson is being advised not to sign an extension with Detroit, at least not yet.
Aidan Hutchinson’s Future with Detroit
In a January 30 piece for A to Z Sports, NFL analyst and expert Mike Payton addresses Hutchinson’s predicament and adds that his injury has an impact on his contract extension with the Lions.
“The Lions are expected to either use the fifth-year option or work out an extension with Hutchinson this offseason,” he says, adding that he collaborated with cap expert Joshua Queipo to make an estimate of what this extension could include.
Payton and Queipo anticipate a “four-year contract worth $110 million, with $82.5 million guaranteed and 60.5 fully guaranteed.” Annually, the average is $27.5 million.
While it is a fair offer, Payton believes that if he were Hutchinson, he would decline it and instead take a fifth-year option. Before you jump from a cliff, consider Payton’s rationale.
“The injury will play a part. “We all want to pretend it isn’t, but it is,” he admits. “Even though we know that the Lions have been trendsetters in the sense that they will make sure their players are paid over the market, he’s still not likely to get what he should get.”
He went on to say that while fifth place in APY is “good,” it “could and should be first.” But the Lions must take care of themselves in case things go wrong.
Extend the Contract After a ‘Huge Season’
In a February 9 article, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reviewed some NFL pass rushers, including Hutchinson. They speculated that Hutchinson may be the “next to get paid big” in the NFL as he enters his fourth year on his rookie contract.
According to Brad Berreman of SideLion Report, delaying could benefit Hutch. In a February 10 article, he states that the Lions have not been afraid to “pony up and pay their own, and Hutchinson is next in line for a contract at or near the top of the market for his position.”
However, Berreman writes that Hutchinson has “two years of contractual control left, and by then, the other edge rushers Rapoport and Pelissero mentioned will most likely have their new contracts.” So, waiting may be beneficial for Hutch, since “the top of the market will be higher a year from now, perhaps after Hutchinson has had a huge season in a full return to health.”
Nick Bosa currently leads the market for edge rushers, earning $34 million per year, followed by Josh Hines-Allen ($28.25 million) and Brian Burns ($28.2 million).