Aidan Hutchinson extension further solidifies NFL's best core

Hutchinson extension latest victory in Lions pursuit to extend championship window 

The deal is another win for Brad Holmes, who has done a remarkable job of remaking the roster since taking over as general manager before the 2021 season. The team he took over was unrecognizable from the juggernaut he has since created, as the 2020 Lions finished with a 5-11 record and fired head coach Matt Patricia in the season’s final month. 

Just a month into his tenure, Holmes made a move that would define his legacy one way or the other, trading future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Mathew Stafford for Jared Goff and three first-round picks. The move was an obvious risk given how popular Stafford was in Detroit and how Goff had regressed in his last two years in Los Angeles, but it proved to be one of the biggest win-wins in NFL history. While Stafford helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in his first year, Goff turned back into a Pro Bowl quarterback and the three first-rounders helped the Lions land running back Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta and wide receiver Jameson Williams. 

Those three selections, along with All-Pros Amon-Ra St Brown and left tackle Penei Sewell, helped create the league’s most explosive offense, while the selections of Hutchinson, safety Brian Branch and linebacker Jack Campbell turned around the defense. Under the guidance of head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions broke a seven-year playoff drought in 2023 before winning a franchise-record 15 games in 2024, and look well on their way to another home playoff game in 2025. 

With a roster stacked at every level, Holmes has turned his attention to extending all his young talent. Hutchinson joins Goff, St. Brown, Sewell, Williams, safety Kerby Joseph and defensive lineman Alim McNeill as players under contract through 2028, keeping the Lions window wide open even after losing coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs. They still need to prove they can exorcise past playoff demons, but it’s clear they have done as good a job at retaining their homegrown talent as any team in the salary cap era.