Selected as the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, Aidan Hutchinson immediately signed a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $35.7 million, following a decorated collegiate career at the University of Michigan. After participating in all 13 games as a freshman in 2018, he became a full-time starter in 2019, accumulating 68 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 13 games. Despite a season-ending injury in his junior year, Hutchinson returned in 2021 to set a Michigan single-season sack record with 14 sacks. His exceptional performance earned him the Ted Hendricks Award, Lombardi Award, and Lott Impact Trophy in 2021, along with unanimous All-American honors and a Heisman Trophy runner-up finish.
While sustaining a leg injury in Week 6 that required surgery, the Lions exercised the fifth-year option on his contract in 2025, underscoring his integral role and anticipated future contributions to the team.