Aidan Hutchinson, Lions Agree to $35.7M Rookie Contract After 2022 NFL Draft

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Aidan Hutchinson is now officially a member of the Detroit Lions. 

The Lions signed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft to his rookie contract on Monday, per agent Mike McCartney. 

Per Spotrac, the total value of Hutchinson’s four-year deal is $35.7 million with a $23.15 million signing bonus. He will count $6.493 million against the 2022 cap. 

The 21-year-old was generally regarded as the best player in this year’s draft class. He was a four-year player at the University of Michigan from 2018-21. He appeared in 43 games for the Wolverines during his college career. 

The 2021 campaign was, by far, the best of Hutchinson’s tenure at Michigan. He recorded 16.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in 14 games to help the Wolverines win the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2004. 

Thanks to his dazzling display on the field last season, the Plymouth, Michigan native finished second in Heisman Trophy voting behind Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. He became the first defensive player since 2012 to finish in the top two in Heisman voting (Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o). 

Leading up to the NFL draft, Hutchinson was heavily linked to the Lions with the second pick. The fit made perfect sense because the team needed a dominant edge defender, and he has the local connection as a lifelong Michigan resident. 

After the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Travon Walker with the top pick, the Lions acted swiftly to draft Hutchinson. 

“Shoot, man,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters when asked what they are getting in Hutchinson. “He’s a football player. He brings a motor. He brings tempo. He brings relentlessness. He brings rush. He brings run production. He’s quick, he’s powerful, he’s explosive. I mean, he’s really everything we’re looking for.”

He will be counted on as one of the key players in Detroit’s rebuild. He’s got the type of elite upside that few players currently on the roster can match. 

The Lions are heading in the right direction under Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. It’s going to be a process to become playoff contenders, but Hutchinson has the potential to make the goal easier.