The Lions have been learning how to deal with the success they haven’t enjoyed in years. One challenge becomes finding a way to timely reward the players who comprise the nucleus of one of the best rosters in football.
They’ve developed a habit of extending the contracts of key players after their third seasons, usually during the week of the draft. In 2024, tackle Penei Sewell and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown got market-level deals. This year, safety Kerby Joseph signed a contract that made him the highest-paid player at his position.
Meanwhile, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has yet to get his own financial reward.
During his 12-minute press conference on Thursday, the issue didn’t come up. It’s nevertheless looming.
Will they sign him before the start of training camp? If a deal isn’t done, will he show up but not practice until the deal is done?
There’s a risk that, even though Hutchinson is cleared, he won’t be the same as he was before he suffered a badly broken leg. For now, Hutchinson carries that financial risk. And he’s due to make only $5.577 million this year.
Several teams prefer to kick the can through the fourth year of a first-round pick’s contract, since they avoid having to replace the low compensation with much greater income in that year. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, for example, saw his 2025 pay rocket from $5.346 million to $41.1 million this week.
For the Lions, there’s reason to slow-play it, until they know Hutchinson is the guy he was before the injury. For Hutchinson, why should he have to prove himself?
As Michael Holley pointed out during Friday’s PFT Live, the fact that the Lions didn’t bolster the position during free agency or the draft shows that they believe Hutchinson will be his old self. If so, why not pay him?
It’s a subtle issue that will become less subtle as camp approaches. And if the two sides don’t find a mutually acceptable middle ground before camp opens, Hutchinson will have to decide whether he’s willing to carry the injury risk during training camp.
There’s one last wrinkle that could become a factor. Hutchinson loves being a Lion. It’s his hometown team. That could make some in the organization inclined to try to get him to take a hometown discount.
That could be a mistake. The dysfunctional teams tend to use loyalty and dedication against a player when the time comes to pay him fairly. And the dysfunctional teams risk pissing off the player — and daring him to decide that he’d rather play for a team that won’t take advantage of a situation like that.
The Lions of recent years have escaped the category of chronic dysfunction. The Hutchinson deal is arguably the last, best test for whether the exit is temporary or permanent.
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