Why Lions Benefit From Early Hutchinson Contract Extension

The Detroit Lions set a precedent for signing players they view as part of their core to extensions early, staying ahead of the ever-changing curve when it comes to the market prices at various positions.

Last offseason, the Lions handed out extensions with at least $20 million AAV to quarterback Jared Goff, wide receive Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker. Now, with the members of the 2022 draft class now extension-eligible, the likes of Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph could be next.

The Lions may be forced to pay up big for Hutchinson due to the value placed on the defensive end position. Prior to suffering a season-ending leg injury, he was on pace to break the NFL's single-season sack record and played at a Defensive Player of the Year level.

As a result, he's cemented himself amongst the top-tier of defenders in the NFL and is expected to cash in as such. Already this offseason, fellow elite edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett have earned new extensions. Garrett's contract re-set the market with an AAV of $40 million per year.

Now, the Lions' brass is likely going to have to shell out a contract around that price. While that amount seems hefty, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer pointed out that there are benefits to crafting the extension now as opposed to later.

Between the final year of his rookie deal and the fifth-year option that Detroit will likely pick up, Hutchinson still has two seasons left of team control. These two years can be adapted into a hypothetical extension, which could make a four-year deal into a six-year deal with a lower AAV.

"That said, there’s a trick to all of this if you get Hutchinson done now. He has $25.45 million due to him over the next two years—which gets folded into the new contract," Breer wrote. "So let’s say he, for example, does a four-year, $160 million extension with the Detroit Lions, which would take him through the 2030 season. In that circumstance, the real money on the deal would be $185.45 million over six years, or an average of $30.9 million per year."

This strategy is similar to what the Lions did last season with offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who is playing under his fifth-year option this year as a first-round pick in 2021. Sewell signed a four-year extension that operates as a six-year deal, because he signed with two years of team control remaining.

Detroit has also demonstrated a unique contract structure with recent deals and extensions, going low on base salary early in the deal and spreading the cap hit out with void years. Regardless of how they approach it, coming to an agreement with Hutchinson this offseason would allow them to maximize the time they'd get with the homegrown former No. 2 overall pick.

As a result, the Lions could benefit greatly from coming to terms with Hutchinson before the end of the offseason.

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