Is the Myth of Aidan Hutchinson Getting in the Way of the Man?
The pass rusher is a hometown hero, but is the storytelling surrounding him getting in the way of the football player?
LeBron James is a gift to the sappy sportswriter. A kid raised just miles away from one of the NBA’s most browbeaten franchises emerges as a superstar in his youth. By pure chance, the fateful ping pong balls that determine the draft lottery fell the right way, and James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. Within years, he’d carry the team to an NBA finals appearance, and eventually its first ever championship.
Fans and journalists alike have done everything they can to create another LeBron-esque narrative. Every fanbase has identified star players with local backgrounds and urged them to come home. Washington Wizards fans long chanted “KD to D.C.”, and Detroit Pistons fans have been longing for Devin Booker to return home and save the bereft franchise.
This longing is what made Aidan Hutchinson’s arrival in Detroit so exciting for fans and the media alike. A Michigan man. The best player on a Wolverines team that had once again established itself as one of college football’s best programs. Hutchinson, an edge rusher with spunk and ferocity, was heading to the NFL just as the Lions needed both a new edge rusher and someone who could bring some personality back to the downtrodden team.
It was a match made in heaven for writers. And everyone seemed to be leaning into it. Hutchinson was spotted rocking a Detroit Red Wings hat in the locker room during the team’s 2023 playoff run. During Hard Knocks his rookie year, his family spoke about how important it was to them that he ended up in Detroit. After a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that clinched the Lions’ first NFC Championship berth in more than 30 years, he took off his helmet and entered a reverie, looking into the crowd to take in the scene. I watched that game at a Detroit Lions bar in New York City, and overheard the guys behind us saying “Imagine what it means to him… he grew up a Lions fan.”
The media was happy to oblige, too. A camera was glued onto Hutchinson’s father during the Lions’ 2023 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Every time the young edge rusher is made available to the media, someone asks him about what it’s like to play for his home team, and how important it is to not just win, but to win for the Lions. NBC led the Buccaneers game with a sit down interview with Hutchinson about what it was like to win for the team he grew up with. This has all combined to create a sort of myth around Hutchinson.
Professional sports are weird. While teams around the world represent cities by name, they recruit players from anywhere. 30 different cities are technically represented by an NFL team, but the guys actually playing the game are usually from Florida, Texas or California. The La Liga team Athletic Bilbao actually stands out as a global outlier for only recruiting players from the Spanish Basque region which the team represents.
Hutchinson, in the myth at least, breaks the trend. A true homegrown talent who has dreamed his entire life of winning for the Lions. He did it for the Wolverines, and now he’ll do it for Detroit. Not only has Detroit arrived as an NFL contender, but the face of the team is one of our own.
But where it all falls apart is the simple truth that Hutchinson was never a Detroit Lions fan. Before the draft he said he was a fan of the New England Patriots. He’s told reporters that he didn’t grow up in a Lions family, as they are originally from Texas. This narrative is almost entirely retrofitted. Despite what the guy said behind me in the bar, when Hutchinson stared out into the crowd after the divisional round, he was likely thinking less about fulfilling a childhood dream, and more about the opportunity to become a truly special figure in the city of 600,000. The talk about the importance of staying in Michigan from his family was likely more an exercise in brand building more than anything (Hutchinson has his own clothing line that very much leans into the Detroit Lions brand).
And it’s here where he is actually like LeBron, who famously said that he hated Cleveland before the Cavaliers drafted him. Decades later, he is the city’s most famous son.
This exercise in branding surrounding Hutchinson does do him and the team a disservice in a sense, though. What gets lost in all the sappy storytelling and tales of a son raised into a hero is a real football player. A player that was selected with a highly consequential draft pick, and who holds a key role not just on the field, but in the locker room and for the Lions public perception.
And while he is the Lions best pass rusher, that is not quite a high bar to clear. Some see Hutchinson as a star being let down by the lack of talent around him. Others see a pedestrian pass rusher who has little room for improvement. The advanced stats love him, but his raw sack totals leave much to be desired.
Hutchinson is up for an extension in 2025. A new contract that could earn him a nine-figure payday. Detroit will be under pressure to keep him in town, but he’ll also be under pressure to not disappoint fans by entering an extended negotiation that drags through 2025 and potentially even into 2026. The team, which has already handed out three major extensions this year, will have to balance its own future with not only locker room dynamics, but with impact on fans when those negotiations start.
So the question becomes, once you wipe away the tears and put away the storybook, is the hometown kid truly a franchise cornerstone, and a guy Detroit should build around long term? And further, what is the best way to actually get the most of Hutchinson?
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Hutchinson, a media savvy figure who clearly knows the right thing to say in a majority of situations, was left flustered by a question asked of him at OTAs.
A reporter asked him about the Lions’ efforts — or lack thereof — this offseason to bring in another premier pass rusher to play across from him.
“I’m just gonna pass on that question,” he said after a confused pause. “I feel like it's a lose-lose situation. I’m gonna pass on that one.”
Hutchinson was correct in assessing the question as a lose-lose. Saying he wished he had more help would not only be an indication that he has doubts about the front office, it would also show a lack of faith in both himself and his teammates. On the other hand, saying he doesn’t need help could signal a “me” attitude that the Lions don’t like. Dodging this question was the perfect response.
The reporter who asked the question was not incorrect to do so, though. Detroit’s pass rush needs desperate help. The Lions had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last season. While the now-renovated cornerback room was primarily responsible, the lack of a pass rush didn’t help either.
Detroit was a bottom-10 NFL defense in sacks, notching just 41 last season. While Hutchinson’s 11.5 sacks was more than double any other player on the roster, it isn’t quite the figure you’d expect from an elite edge rusher. He was on par with other great-but-not-elite rushers such as Denico Autry and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Many Lions fans, especially those of Spartan-ilk, will point to these lack of sacks to call Hutchinson's career a disappointment through two years.
However, as many Hutchinson defenders will point out, pass rushing isn’t a one man job. All of the NFL’s sack leaders have the luxury of playing across another leading pass rushing talent.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have Alex Highsmith across from NFL sack leader TJ Watt. The Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson has Sam Hubbard. Josh Allen saw his numbers spike last year as Travon Walker — selected just ahead of Hutchinson — started to finally come online in Jacksonville. Khalil Mack has Joey Bosa. Danielle Hunter benefitted from a breakout year by DJ Wonnum. Myles Garrett has Za’Darius Smith, Maxx Crosby has Chandler Jones and Micah Parsons has DeMarcus Lawrence.
Sacks are usually not solo efforts. While all of the leading rushers, including Hutchinson, can notch a few sacks every year by either barreling over or just blowing by an overwhelmed tackle, a majority of sacks are earned by committee. Pressure needs to come from everywhere to bottle up a quarterback, and the sack ends up going to the guy who puts himself in the right place and secures the tackle.
Hutchinson rarely gets to benefit from the “clean up” sacks that many others do. Mack, for example, notched six sacks in one game last year, and nearly all of them were just him being the guy to capitalize on pressure from everywhere. James Houston took the NFL by storm when he notched eight sacks for the Lions late in the last seven games of 2022 — largely eating from the hand of Hutchinson across from him.
Hutchinson is usually the only guy creating pressure along the defensive line. He is often pass rushing by himself, with no one else along the defensive front good enough to constantly take advantage of what he creates.
A great example of how terrible the Lions were at cleaning up sacks last year came on the NFL’s longest play of the 2023 season, where Dak Prescott escaped a Lions blitz and uncorked a 92 yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb during a late season Monday Night Football game. On replay, it is clear linebacker Derrick Barnes had Prescott dead to rights for a safety, but clammed up and just refused to make the tackle.
The Cowboys’ example is just the most dramatic of many that occurred last season. One of the primary, and most frustrating, themes for the Lions last year was their ability to almost-but-not-quite make third and long stops. After forcing teams into a tough situation to keep the drive alive — usually on the back of great run defense on first and second down — and getting pressure on the quarterback on third down, they would still manage to surrender a first down.
This was most clear early in the infamous beat down against the Baltimore Ravens, where Lamar Jackson turned into a modern day Houdini in the first half.
Detroit’s failures to clean up sacks has led to an odd incongruence between the advanced and raw stats. Despite a lackluster sack total and playing for a team with statistically one of the worst rushes in the league, Hutchinson is a spreadsheet superstar. His pass rush win rate of 21.3% last season put him in the same neighborhood as Watt, Parsons and Crosby. He was second in the NFL with 91 pressures recorded, more than Garrett, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and other leading contenders.
It is clear that the ingredients are there for Hutchinson. One can argue that, with more talent around him, he could have competed with Watt, who scored 19 sacks last season. Generally, raw sack totals can be pretty variable year-to-year, but a pass rusher who can create pressure himself is more likely to continue to do so week-to-week.
If Hutchinson gets another good pass rusher along the defensive front, he could see the same type of spike that Allen did — jumping from 7 sacks in 2022 to 17.5 in 2023 when Walker started to develop into a consistent threat on the other edge.
Which leads us back to the reporter’s question at OTAs. Adding more help along the defensive front this offseason would be great for not only the Lions, but for Hutchinson’s career itself. He has the pressure rate of a player that should be in DPOY conversations. It is early too, but a player of his caliber should also have an eventual induction to the Hall of Fame on his mind, and failures to notch sacks now will certainly hurt his case later.
Another edge defender was a leading need for the Lions entering this offseason, second in urgency only to cornerback. But it wasn’t addressed by general manager Brad Holmes’ to make fans’ likings.
The Lions added former first round pick Marcus Davenport, a player with immense talent but a worrying history of injuries and inconsistency. Otherwise, the only other addition on the edge was Mathieu Betts from the CFL. The only pass rusher taken in the draft was the undersized interior lineman Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round.
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Hutchinson is too smart to answer the question posed to him by the reporter — who jokingly said he would ask the pass rusher the same over and over all season until he gets an answer. I, fortunately, can answer it.
Detroit did not do enough for its pass rush this offseason, and in the process failed not only the team, but Hutchinson, and his legacy.
LeBron James was clearly something special for the Cavs from the start. He won Rookie of the Year and even earned some MVP consideration in his debut season. Cleveland doubled its win total from the 2002-03 season in 2003-04. His Cavaliers won a playoff series in his third NBA season, and made the Finals in his fourth.
But the Cavs front office became too reliant on James. They infamously let Carlos Boozer walk early in his career, and failed to replace the talented forward with another player of that caliber. They never made a signature free agent signing or swung for a big trade to add talent next to James. The team remained good enough because of their young hometown star, and almost seemed afraid to bring in someone that could steal his shine.
James, like any player would, clearly felt like it wasn’t enough. He was not only playing for the current, but to build a future legacy. He had potential to be the greatest basketball player of all time, but his chances of doing so were weakened the longer he stuck around with the Cavs. After seven years, he bolted for Miami, joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to form an incredible trio. While many accuse him of ring chasing, and deride him for the move, James left Miami with two championships in four years. Can’t argue with that.
The Cavs front office got stuck into a bit of a trap with James. He was so good there wasn't any urgency to get him help. There was also something romantic about the hometown kid, the prophesied one, seemingly doing it all by himself.
Hutchinson’s situation is obviously not entirely like that of James. The Lions made big swings at corner this offseason to build a true Super Bowl contender. But the failure to bring in an edge rusher other than Davenport is baffling. It is a desperate need. The lack of pass rushers in the arsenal is the most glaring flaw on a roster that is among the best in the NFL. Despite being great everywhere, the Lions are hugely lacking in one of the most important areas on the roster.
It’s hard to say what exactly Holmes and the Lions front office is thinking. Do they believe that Houston, who nearly failed to make the 2023 roster, will emerge as a great pass rusher? Are they betting on Davenport finally living up to his college potential in his seventh NFL season? Do they think John Cominsky make the leap? Are they hoping Betts will be as good in the NFL as he was in Canada?
Clearly not, or at least I hope.
There could be a fear of upstaging Hutchinson, though. NFL locker rooms can be a delicate organism. You want to maximize the talent you have on the roster without making them feel marginalized. Players want to play with other great talents, but not talent so great in the same position as them that it’s threatening. Kirk Cousins would probably be happy if the Atlanta Falcons added a pretty good backup quarterback or a star wide receiver to play with him, but not with them spending an early first round pick on Michael Penix.
The Lions are a team that cares more about culture than any other during the Dan Campbell era, and has shown a deep loyalty to its players. Even after the team went 3-13-1 in 2021, they re-signed nearly all of their free agents and ran it back with many of the same players, to great success. There are serious doubts about Jared Goff as a long term option at quarterback, but Detroit still handed him a nine-figure deal instead of letting a lengthy contract negotiation play out. If you prove to be a loyal servant to the Holmes-Campbell regime, a guy who will do the right thing and play well enough in the Lions way, you will be rewarded.
But what happens if the Lions bring in another top tier edge defender? What if they had taken a swing on Chase Young or Montez Sweat last season? Detroit surely could have matched, if not beaten, the $13 million deal Young signed with the New Orleans Saints for the 2024 season. It would create a bit of an awkward situation, though.
What if Sweat or Young, or another edge defender, ended up leading the team in sacks? What if a Detroit Lion wins DPOY, and it isn’t Aidan Hutchinson. Could the Lions have the hometown kid play second fiddle. With all of the storytelling and myth making surrounding the Michigan man, does he have to be the face of the defense? And will him not being so anymore become an issue in the locker room?
It goes further. Sweat received a $98 million deal from the Chicago Bears after arriving from Washington. Young will likely receive a similar deal if he lives up to expectations in New Orleans. But there is only so much money to go around, and Hutchinson is next in line for a massive extension from the Lions next offseason. There is a potential situation where a better player jumps in front of him for a massive extension at the same position. With huge deals for Goff, Penei Sewell and Amon Ra St. Brown all set to kick in within the coming years, there is only so much money to go around. Would the Lions let a better player walk to give a deal to Hutchinson instead? How would that play in the locker room? On the other hand, do you let someone who has truly emerged as the face of a franchise walk because of a cap crunch? Surely not.
But the longer they go without providing Hutchinson with help, the more they are hurting him, and his chances of becoming a truly great NFL pass rusher.
The myth around Hutchinson has almost paralyzed the Lions at the defensive end position, and it is not only hurting them, but the pass rusher himself.