As Aidan Hutchinson has progressed through rehab on his broken leg, it has long been expected he would be available for the Lions’ offseason work. His latest comments on the subject confirm that should be the case.
“I’m there. I’d say I’m good,” Hutchinson said of his recovery process when speaking to ESPN’s Marty Smith at The Masters (h/t Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated). “I’ve got my last evaluation when I get back… I’m gonna finish those evals and once I knock them out of the park, I’ll be on my way and done with rehab.”
Hutchinson went down in Week 6, and his absence was acutely felt on a Lions defense which dealt with several injuries over the course of the year. A return by the Super Bowl or even NFC title game was floated as a possibility, but in the end that became a moot point. The former No. 2 pick being available for offseason workouts well in advance of training camp would of course be welcomed by Detroit.
Having accrued three seasons in the NFL, Hutchinson is eligible for an extension for the first time in his career this offseason. The Lions have seen the top of the edge rush market reach $40MM per season this spring, although general manager Brad Holmes has already budgeted for a Hutchinson deal to check in at a similar rate. Health could represent a reason for an extension to fall short of Myles Garrett‘s new Browns pact, but with 28.5 sacks in 39 career games Hutchinson – 25 next year – has a case to command a monster deal in the near future.
Finding an effective complementary presence on the edge has proven to be challenging during the Michigan product’s time in the NFL. No outside additions were made during free agency, while Marcus Davenport was re-signed on a one-year deal after he was limited to a pair of games last season. His missed time, coupled with Hutchinson going down, led the Lions to trade for Za’Darius Smith as a stopgap option.
The three-time Pro Bowler was released last month, and he remains unsigned at this point. A new Lions agreement – at a lesser cost than the remaining year of his previous pact – could be on the table. Smith notched four sacks in eight Detroit games, giving him a total of nine for the 2024 campaign. In spite of that, Holmes’ pre-draft press conference noted no traction has been gained toward a deal for the 32-year-old.
“No, we haven’t had any discussions since [the decision to release him],” Holmes said of Smith (via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper). “I think we kinda left it as his agent would let us know if something was going on or if anything’s changed.”
Many veterans will no doubt need to wait until after the draft to sign their next deals. Smith would not count against the compensatory pick formula with a deal before that time since he was released, but it does not appear an agreement sending him back to the Motor City or anywhere else is imminent.
