Detroit Lions star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has dealt with a prolonged rehabilitation following a significant injury in the past.
Against the Dallas Cowboys, the emerging Defensive Player of the Year candidate suffered a broken tibia and fibula, which prematurely ended his 2024 season. This is his second significant injury, as he suffered an ankle injury while playing for Michigan in 2020.
Jim Harbaugh, who coached Hutchinson at Michigan and is now leading the Los Angeles Chargers, believes the 24-year-old will come back even stronger and a better player in 2025.
"He'll come back stronger, faster, quicker and more relentless," Harbaugh said at the league meetings. "That's his makeup."
Playing collegiately at Michigan, the talented pass rusher suffered an ankle fracture and missed the final six games of the 2020 season. He was able to return for the start of the 2021 season.
97.1 The Ticket sports radio host Mike Stone indicated those close to Hutchinson believe his injury was not as bad as the injury he suffered in college.
In the immediate aftermath of the injury, Stone posted on social media, “A close member of Hutchinson told me the following. Even though it looked bad, it’s less of an injury than he suffered in college. Pretty soon he will be bionic. When we make it to the Super Bowl, he will be ready to go."
Prior to his injury, Hutchinson had notched 7.5 sacks and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for September. He has logged 28.5 sacks over his first three NFL seasons.
He had hoped to return for the Super Bowl last season and used that date as a motivating factor for his rehab. However, the team came up short and he was unable to get back on the field in 2024.
He's dialed back the intensity of his rehab as a result, but has previously indicated that he expects to return at full strength in the near future.
“Honestly, that Super Bowl was a great motivator. I’ll tell you that. Even though we didn’t make it, I think that pushed me mentally to places that I may not have been able to go without it," Hutchinson said on 'The Squeeze' podcast. "So I am grateful for that dream. But once we lost in that Divisional (Round), I took my foot off the gas a little. Not too much with the rehab, but more of like, ‘Okay, body. You can heal in due time, whenever you want to.’ That, to me, (has) been good. The last few weeks, I’ve been still hitting (the rehab). But it’s more of, when my body’s ready to be done with it and be healed, it’s on it’s own time.”
Heading into 2025, the Lions are quite optimistic about Hutchinson's return. General manager Brad Holmes showed little concern when asked about his timeline, indicating that what he's seen from Hutchinson suggests that he'll be ready to go for the upcoming season.
"We don't have a crystal ball on anything. We're just gonna see where it's at," Holmes said. "But I've seen enough movement and mobility on running in this stage that I feel very confident about where he's gonna be at."
Harbaugh knows the level of effort that the defender will devote to his rehab. He's confident that his former pupil will return to playing at a high level when he's cleared.
Harbaugh indicated, "I bet he'll even be better."
