Aidan Hutchinson is living the dream of every kid who ever wanted to play in the NFL.
The star edge rusher got to play college football in his home state and for one of the top programs in the nation. After a dominant career at Michigan, the Detroit Lions made Hutchinson the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, allowing him to play for his hometown team.
Hutchinson checked off another item from his list of dreams this past week, signing a four-year, $180 million extension that includes $141 million in guaranteed money, setting a record for the most guaranteed money given to a non-quarterback in NFL history. It’s all a part of the plan for Hutchinson, even if a younger version of himself can’t believe what’s happened to him.
“I could not have [scripted this any better],” Hutchinson told FOX Sports’ Charissa Thompson in an exclusive interview for “FOX NFL Sunday.” “Hometown hero, high school, college, NFL and hopefully, if all goes well, I’ll play my whole career here.
“At the time, I probably wouldn’t believe you,” Hutchinson added when he was shown a clip of himself as a teenager at Michigan Stadium. “In high school, you’re just trying to get one foot in front of the other. I’m living my dream. The fact that I get to do this with all the roadblocks I’ve felt like I’ve had, you’ve got to have a ton of trust in God’s plan for you.”
But there was something that happened last season that wasn’t supposed to be a part of Hutchinson’s dream script. Amid a dominant start to his 2024 campaign, Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg fracture just seven games into the season. The injury ended Hutchinson’s season early, forcing him to sit on the sideline as the Lions’ Super Bowl dreams were dashed in the divisional round.
“Having that stripped away from you, it sucked,” Hutchinson said. “Something I never want to experience again. Just so ecstatic doing the thing you love again. Just gratitude for the moment.”
So far, it doesn’t look like Hutchinson has missed much of a step. He has six sacks through the Lions’ first seven games and has emerged as one of the early frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year, helping Detroit to a 5-2 start ahead of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
In fact, some around the Lions organization believe Hutchinson is better now than he was prior to the injury.
“Aidan Hutchinson looks in better shape now than he did before that injury last year,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told Erin Andrews.
Having Hutchinson in top form is certainly welcome news for the Lions. His emergence has coincided with Detroit’s leap to becoming a title contender, something that didn’t feel possible in the first half of Hutchinson’s rookie season.
“It really does [feel like a long time ago],” he said. “That 1-6 start, I call it the dark days. It was a little rough. But it set up a great comeback. I wanted to go to Detroit so bad in the draft because you see this guy in Dan and what he’s all about, the grit, every day the competitiveness he prides himself on. That’s why I knew when I got here, it was going to be a perfect fit. And here we are.”
Aidan Hutchinson missed the majority of the 2024 season due to tibia and fibia fractures. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
As important as Hutchinson has become on the field for the Lions, he’s been just as great a presence in the Detroit community. He formed the House of Hutch to help support children battling life-threatening illnesses.
While Hutchinson just received a rich contract, he said that wasn’t his “why” for how he approaches the game.
“You commemorate these kids every single week,” he said of his foundation. “I get to meet them sporadically throughout the year. If I can find ways to make them happy and my success brings these kids joy, and when I see them, they’re even more pumped and have more stuff to talk about. It’s like, to me, that’s a ‘why’ that’s deeper than just my evolution and aspirations as a football player.”
Of course, Hutchinson can’t be as charitable when he’s on the gridiron. He told Thompson that he was hoping to take down his former teammate and current Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy a couple of times on Sunday.
“Once the eye block goes on, you’re like ‘ahh.’ When you’re on that field, you’ve got to flip that switch,” Hutchinson said. “You’ve got to play with a chip on your shoulder.
“When those moments come where we need a play, I feel like that’s where I come alive. There’s going to be more tension, more chips and double teams. When they mess up, you’ve gotta take advantage of it.”
Hutchinson has done a good job taking advantage of his opponent’s mistakes for his whole career, recording 34.5 sacks in just 46 career games. So, it isn’t much of a surprise that Hutchinson received a contract with record guaranteed money and nearly matched the record deal Micah Parsons got in August.
But for Hutchinson and the Lions, it might just be the start toward something bigger.
“It’s such a blessing,” he said of his deal. “I’m so happy I’ll be here for such a long time.”
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