The ink is barely dry on the new contract for Aidan Hutchinson that will reportedly keep in him under contract with the Detroit Lions until 2030, yet the team is still receiving a massive amount of praise for the move. Twitter was abuzz with the news, with many local and national analysts congratulating the Lions on being able to fill their team with foundational pieces and coming to agreements with the players to keep them all around long-term.
Here’s just a smattering of reactions to the news that
the Lions and Hutchinson have agreed to a four-year, $180 million extension.
First, there were a lot of subtle digs at the Dallas Cowboys, mostly at owner Jerry Jones for his inability to extend Micah Parsons after recently committing to long-term deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb:
Others have simply used the opportunity to point out that the Lions are doing things the right way: hit on your draft picks, pay your foundational players, and let everything else fall into place. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer even went as far as calling the Lions “an elite organization.”
While the full details of Hutchinson’s deal aren’t out yet, this is also important to consider: Hutchinson’s new contract money won’t hit until 2027—after his fifth-year option next year. At that point the $45 million a year figure could seem like a bargain, and if you fold it into the structure of deal already in place, it’s actually going to be less than that:
