Former Lions OL Gives Advice to Aidan Hutchinson

Jansen also expressed that he is not worried about the long-term ramifications of Hutchinson's season-ending leg injury last year. He doesn't anticpate the fellow former Michigan Wolverine losing his explosiveness or physicality, and anticipates an elite return season.

Hutchinson did suffer a significant injury while playing in college, and bounced back to have a huge season in his final year with the Wolverines.

Additionally, Jansen and co-host Jim Cost both noted that the market for edge rushers is ever-increasing. Myles Garrett most recently set the market with a four-year contract extension worth $40 million annually, and Hutchinson could be in a position to get near or even more than this in his next deal.

With this in mind, Jansen believes Hutchinson should wait out the duration of his rookie contract before looking to get a new deal.

“He’s gonna come back as good or better than he was before. He’s been able to come back from a very similar leg injury on the other side when he was at Michigan," Jansen explained. "I think everyone looks at what he did in his last year at Michigan as, ‘That’s a pretty damn good year.’ The difference of when I played and when Aidan’s playing is the amount of money, and where he was drafted, he was a first-round pick. But the money has 100 percent exploded. I would tell him, ‘Bet on yourself, go out there, have a dominant year.’ I would almost say, ‘Bet on yourself for the next two years, push it to free agency.’ Make them decide, ‘Do we want to use the franchise tag on you? Or do we want to give you a record-setting deal?’ 

One more factor in this discussion is the fact that Hutchinson is a local product who grew up in Michigan, played for the Wolverines and now the Lions. With the fan base fixated on the team finding a player to work with him, Hutchinson has plenty of leverage on his side.

As a result, the Lions will face pressure to ultimately make this deal and keep Hutchinson with the organization.

"He has all the public support on his side," Jansen noted. "We're talking about trying to find someone opposite of him, could you imagine if we got to a world where he's too expensive for the Lions and they decide he is the odd man out? This place would blow up. Bet on yourself, because you have all the leverage."

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