Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson is expected to make a full recovery by 2025 and return to form at a high level. In the early stages of his third NFL season, the former No. 2 overall pick was performing like one of the top players in his position, registering 7.5 sacks before suffering a season-ending injury in the fifth game. Had he stayed healthy, many anticipated Hutchinson would be a strong contender for his first Defensive Player of the Year award. Heading into 2025, the 24-year-old currently holds the best odds to win the award at +700, according to DraftKings.
During a recent appearance on radio row, Hutchinson shared what it was like in the days following his severe injury to his fibula and tibia in a game against the Dallas Cowboys. “It’s the worst. I’ve had a season-ending injury before but that tibia break was just brutal,” Hutchinson explained on The Pat McAfee Show. “I stayed in a Dallas hospital for a couple of days after the injury, and those were probably the two most painful days of my life. It was constant beeping in the hospital, people checking my vitals every couple of minutes. I’m just glad that part is over.”
Since the Associated Press started awarding the honor in 1971, no Lions player has ever won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
