Aidan Hutchinson opens up about signing extension with Lions during the season

Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson committed his future to the Detroit Lions when he and the club agreed to a four-year contract extension that is worth $180M with $141M in guarantees earlier this week. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Hutchinson indicated he was happy he could focus on playing rather than on how much money would or wouldn't be attached to his new deal. 

Aidan Hutchinson "really wanted" to get extension done as soon as possible

"We really wanted to get a deal done," Hutchinson explained, per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. "As you know, these things can get a little bit hairy the more you get into it and the longer it goes, as you see with other guys around the league. And obviously, you want to avoid those situations, and we were able to get it done."

Logic suggests Hutchinson gave the Lions a bit of a hometown discount, as he almost certainly would've become more expensive had he stayed healthy and continued playing well through the upcoming postseason tournament. The market for players at his position has exploded in recent offseasons. This past August, Micah Parsons received a four-year, $188M contract that included $136M guaranteed as part of the trade that sent him from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers. 

Hutchinson clearly didn't want this process to extend into the spring. 

"I really wasn't trying to think about it too much," Hutchinson said about contract negotiations, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "I really was letting my parents handle it with my agent, all the communications, and I really just kind of blocked it out until I needed to be involved, until they had to ask me some stuff. But yeah, to me, I mean, if I go back to it, money is not the motivator. However, it does make life easier and good. But to me, where I find my fulfillment is playing this game, evolving, shining a light on these kids before playing these games. All that stuff to me is where I find my fulfillment. And I understand that."

Aidan Hutchinson focused on task at hand with contract done

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 5-2 Lions second among the betting favorites at +650 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. Also on Friday, ESPN BET had Detroit as a massive 9.5-point favorite for this coming Sunday's home game against the Minnesota Vikings (3-4).

"It’s a weird feeling, because you go in and you sign the contract, but then you wake up and it’s Thursday practice all over," Hutchinson added about inking his deal. "It’s like, not much really changes. … But again, while it’s great news, it’s all Minnesota in my brain right now when I’m thinking about this week." 

That could be bad news for the Vikings and the rest of the NFL.