When Aidan Hutchinson went down with a broken fibula and tibia in his left leg back in Week 6, it was bad enough for the Detroit Lions. Since then, the list of injuries on the Lions' defense has grown practically on a weekly basis.
Within hours of Hutchinson's injury, we saw a report that he could be back for the Super Bowl if the team got there and a similar report followed about a week later.
Hutchinson has personally offered promising updates about his recovery all along, from spoken messages to clips showing him doing rehab work in a pool. A more recent report invited the idea he could return for the NFC Championship Game if the Lions get there.
Those return dates are of course only in play if the Lions have a deep playoff run, otherwise Hutchinson being able to play will be rendered moot.
Aidan Hutchinson confirms goal for return to action
On Tuesday morning, as Lautner was about to appear on the show, "Good Morning Football" co-host Peter Schrager shared a clip of Hutchinson's appearance on the podcast of actor (and Lions fan) Taylor Lautner and his wife (also named Taylor).
True Grit & true fandom@Lions superfan Taylor Lautner joins with some exclusive news from @aidanhutch97 👀🦁#OnePride pic.twitter.com/D5DwIDKP6a
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) December 17, 2024
Aidan Hutchinson CONFIRMED today that if the Detroit Lions make the Super Bowl… HE WILL BE BACK 🤯
“You guys just have to get there, and I PROMISE YOU I’m gonna be back… there’s no other way”
🎥: @gmfb | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/9DtGSPxM9m— Crunch Time Sports (@officialctpod) December 17, 2024
"I’m on track for my goal of returning for the Super Bowl,” Hutchinson said. “And so, I keep telling all the boys when I see them in the (Lions) facility, ‘you’ve just to get there. And I promise you I’m going to be back’. And I tell people that, and my mom was like, we were talking yesterday, she's like 'but Aidan, what if you don't get back?' 'What if you can't?' And I was like, there's no other way."
Hutchinson's injury has a 4-6 month recovery timeline. Super Bowl LIX is on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, just shy of four months removed from when he went down.
The Lautners' podcast, "The Squeeze", drops a new episode every Wednesday. So the full interview with Hutchinson will arrive then, recorded before last Sunday's game according to Lautner when he was on "GMFB." But the exclusive clip that surfaced Tuesday morning is sure to stand as the biggest headline from the conversation, and Lions' fans now have a bit of good injury news to latch onto.
