Lions' Aidan Hutchinson addresses eligibility for historic extension: 'Been pretty hands-off with the process'

The NFL world is currently fixated on the Micah Parsons saga, as the Dallas Cowboys pass rusher finds himself in the midst of a Jerry Jones-fueled soap opera that's hard to look away from. But there's another star pass rusher who is up for an extension: Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions.

The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft is technically eligible for an extension, but he is also coming off a gruesome leg injury which prematurely ended his 2024 campaign. While the Michigan native is expected to one day reset the pass-rush market, it's not something he's focused on right now.

"I've kind of been pretty hands-off with the process," Hutchinson said, via the Detroit Free Press. "I think the business side can take away from your love of the game a little bit. And that's kind of the reality of the NFL. 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."

The Lions would probably like to see how Hutchinson looks after breaking his tibia and fibula in Week 6 last season before handing him a bag, but if training camp is any indication of his progress, he's going to be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Hutchinson has been so good in practice that Dan Campbell had to implement a "Hutch rule," where if Hutchinson beats his lineman and registers a hypothetical sack in practice, the coaches ignore it and let the play continue so the offense can get their reps in.

It's no exaggeration to say that Hutchinson was one of the best players in the NFL before breaking his leg. Entering that Week 6 matchup in which he was injured, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks (6.5), QB hits (14) and pressures (40) despite the Lions having an early bye in Week 5. His 40 pressures generated over five games were 11 more than the next-leading player.

Hutchinson is likely fine waiting on his extension, too. His positional market was reset multiple times this offseason, going from $34 million to $41 million per year, and will again be reset by Parsons in the near future. Right now, Hutchinson is just focused on playing football.