Aidan Hutchinson, Lions Reportedly Have Begun Contract Talks Ahead of 2025 NFL Season

The Detroit Lions have opened contract negotiations with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Hutchinson is signed with Detroit through 2026 after the team picked up his fifth-year option, which is worth almost $19.8 million.

While the Lions have plenty of time to finalize a long-term agreement with the 2023 Pro Bowler, they're incentivized to be proactive.

The price for star edge-rushers climbed to a new level this offseason as the Green Bay Packers' Micah Parsons, Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt and Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett are all earning $40-plus million annually.

Hutchinson's value, meanwhile, may not get any lower than it is now. He was sidelined for 12 games in 2024 due to a fractured fibula and tibia, and he hasn't yet shown how effective he is after the leg injuries.

For that reason, the 25-year-old and his representatives might be driving a hard bargain right now with an eye toward what he could potentially earn by making another Pro Bowl or getting his first All-Pro nod in 2025.

Speaking with reporters in August, Hutchinson signaled he's not preoccupied with extension talks. He said he has been "hands off in the process" and is letting his agents handle that:

The 2022 first-round pick's sack total from a season ago (7.5) is a little deceiving because more than half of that output (4.5 sacks) came in a single game. Still, nobody doubts Hutchinson's abilities.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ranked him as the seventh-best edge-rusher, while his peers put him at No. 55 in the NFL's annual Top 100 list:

Assuming everything goes right for Hutchinson, he might be able to approach Parsons' record-setting $46.5 million average payout from Green Bay next spring.