Lions, Aidan Hutchinson agree to $180 million extension with most guaranteed money ever for a non-QB
One of the NFL's young defensive stars gets a massive deal
The Detroit Lions and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson have agreed to a four-year, $180 million contract extension, per CBS Sports senior reporter Matt Zenitz. The deal includes $141 million guaranteed, a record for any non-quarterback.
At $45 million per year, Hutchinson becomes the second highest-paid non-quarterback on an average annual salary basis; only Micah Parsons, who was stunningly traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers and then signed an extension with Green Bay before the season, is averaging more ($46.5 million).
Hutchinson, 25, has quickly ascended to superstardom in the Motor City. He finished second in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, made the Pro Bowl with 11.5 sacks in 2023 and was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks through six weeks of the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending tibia and fibula fracture while sacking Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
He has immediately returned to form in 2025. His 6.9 pressures per game lead the NFL, as do his four forced fumbles. He also ranks top 10 in the league in sacks (six) and pressure rate (19.2%). Since the start of last season, he is averaging an NFL-best 1.13 sacks per game and is the only player averaging more than one sack per game.
His rise has coincided with the Lions' rise as a whole. In Hutchinson's four seasons in Detroit, the Lions are 41-17, the fourth-best record in the NFL. In the four seasons prior, the Lions were 17-46-2, the third-worst record in the NFL.
Hutchinson is also a hometown hero of sorts. He was born and raised in Plymouth, Michigan, which is just west of Detroit, and he starred at Michigan, where he won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and several national awards and was named an All-America selection in 2021.
Edge rushers continue to get paid; who's next?
Salaries continue to explode across the NFL, and especially at edge rusher. Hutchinson is now one of 11 players at the position making at least $25 million per year, and eight of those 11 players signed their most recent contract this year.
| Player | Average Annual Value (AAV) | Years/value | Year signed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Parsons | $46.5 million | 4/$186M | 2025 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | $45 million | 4/$180M | 2025 |
| T.J. Watt | $41 million | 3/$123M | 2025 |
| Myles Garrett | $40 million | 4/$160M | 2025 |
| Danielle Hunter | $35.6 million | 1/$35.6M | 2025 |
| Maxx Crosby | $35.5 million | 3/$106.5M | 2025 |
| Nick Bosa | $34 million | 5/$170M | 2023 |
| Trey Hendrickson | $29 million | 1/$29M | 2025 |
| Josh Hines-Allen | $28.25 million | 5/$121.25M | 2024 |
| Brian Burns | $28.2 million | 5/$121M | 2024 |
| Nik Bonitto | $26.5 million | 4/$106M | 2025 |
Edge rushers now own the top three largest contracts in terms of total value (Parsons, Hutchinson, Bosa) and in terms of AAV (Parsons, Hutchinson, Watt) among non-quarterbacks.
This also sets the table for Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. as next in line for a massive extension that pays him at or near the top of the market. Anderson won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, had 11 sacks last season and is leading the NFL in pressure rate this year. He is extension-eligible this coming offseason.
Lions continue to nail draft classes but are getting expensive
As mentioned above, the Lions have turned from NFL laughingstock to Super Bowl contender. They made the NFC Championship game in the 2023 season and had 15 wins last season despite being ravaged by injuries. This year, they are 5-2.
Coach Dan Campbell deserves an enormous amount of credit for that success, but so, too, does GM Brad Holmes. Both arrived in 2021 and have led a revival in Detroit. It has started in the draft. The Lions' first ever pick under Campbell and Holmes was right tackle Penei Sewell, who has gone on to be a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. Also in that draft were star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and stalwart defensive tackle Alim McNeill.
The next year, the Lions drafted not only Hutchinson but big-play wide receiver Jameson Williams and ballhawking safety Kerby Joseph. The next year, 2023, brought in running back Jahmyr Gibbs, linebacker Jack Campbell, safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta. Gibbs, Branch and LaPorta have all been Pro Bowlers, and Campbell has started every game the last two seasons.
Many of those picks, of course, were made thanks to the franchise-changing trade of Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff, and Goff resurrecting his career in Detroit has been the biggest piece of the Lions' success, even with the terrific drafting and development around him.
All that success comes with a price, though, and the Lions have a hefty pay sheet. Here are players with a top-10 AAV at their position.
- QB Jared Goff ($53 million per year)
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million per year)
- RT Penei Sewell ($28 million per year)
- DT Alim McNeill ($24.25 million per year)
- EDGE Aidan Hutchinson ($45 million per year)
- S Kerby Joseph ($21.25 million per year)
That list doesn't include significant contracts for Williams, running back David Montgomery, left tackle Taylor Decker, either. Gibbs, Campbell, Branch and LaPorta are extension-eligible this offseason.
The Lions will have some tough choices to make and some restructuring to do. This season becomes especially important in that light. The pressure to win, though, is far better than the pressure to make the right choice with an early draft pick, a situation Detroit knew far too well before Campbell and Holmes arrived.
