As the Detroit Lions look ahead to the 2025 season, one of their top priorities is securing the future of Aidan Hutchinson. The NFL recently set the salary cap for 2025 at $279.2 million, and with it comes the cost of exercising the fifth-year option for players from the 2022 NFL Draft. For Hutchinson, picking up this option for the 2026 season would come with a price tag of $19.872 million.
However, while this number might seem high, the Lions’ primary objective isn’t just to exercise Hutchinson’s fifth-year option. Their main goal is to lock him in for the long term. Hutchinson has already made a significant impact as one of the NFL’s top young talents, particularly on the defensive line. Although an injury in 2024 kept him out for most of the season, prior to that, he was playing at a level that could have made him a strong contender for Defensive Player of the Year honors. If healthy, he remains a game-changing force.
