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The Detroit Lions and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson have agreed to a four-year, $180 million contract extension, per CBS Sports senior reporter Matt Zenitz. The deal includes $141 million guaranteed, a record for any non-quarterback.
At $45 million per year, Hutchinson becomes the second highest-paid non-quarterback on an average annual salary basis; only Micah Parsons, who was stunningly traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers and then signed an extension with Green Bay before the season, is averaging more ($46.5 million).
Highest-paid edge rushers PlayerAverage Annual Value (AAV)Micah Parsons$46.5 millionAidan Hutchinson$45 millionT.J. Watt$41 millionMyles Garrett$40 millionDanielle Hunter$35.6 millionMaxx Crosby$35.5 millionNick Bosa$34 million
Hutchinson, 25, has quickly ascended to superstardom in the Motor City. He finished second in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, made the Pro Bowl with 11.5 sacks in 2023 and was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks through six weeks of the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending tibia and fibula fracture while sacking Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
He has immediately returned to form in 2025. His 6.9 pressures per game lead the NFL, as do his four forced fumbles. He also ranks top 10 in the league in sacks (six) and pressure rate (19.2%). Since the start of last season, he is averaging an NFL-best 1.13 sacks per game and is the only player averaging more than one sack per game.
His rise has coincided with the Lions’ rise as a whole. In Hutchinson’s four seasons in Detroit, the Lions are 41-17, the fourth-best record in the NFL. In the four seasons prior, the Lions were 17-46-2, the third-worst record in the NFL.
Hutchinson is also a hometown hero of sorts. He was born and raised in Plymouth, Michigan, which is just west of Detroit, and he starred at Michigan, where he won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and several national awards and was named an All-America selection in 2021.