Getty

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox argued the Detroit Lions should sign edge rusher Joey Bosa in NFL free agency.

The Detroit Lions are coming off a season in which they unfortunately didn’t qualify for the NFL postseason for what would have been a third straight year, while also seeing their two-year reign as the top dog in the NFC North Division also come to a close.

Adding some insult to injury is the fact that the NFC North Division winner this past season was the Chicago Bears, who are now led by former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Now that the NFL Draft is officially in the books, it means that the Lions are one step closer to getting back to the field in preparation for the upcoming 2026 NFL campaign. And if the words from star defensive captain Aidan Hutchinson are any indication of what is to come, the bar has been raised.

Aidan Hutchinson Has Raised The Bar For The Detroit Lions

Not only are expectations for the Lions going to be higher this season in their efforts to return to the NFL postseason, but Aidan Hutchinson believes that everything will be set up for perhaps a career year in what will be his fifth campaign in the League since being drafted locally out of the University of Michigan.

“I feel like last year, there was a lot going on with the injury comeback, the contract negotiations, but like, all of that has closed a lot of….stuff I can’t really, it’s just, you gotta deal with it, you know?” Huchinson said.

“I have near 15 sacks, so I’m happy with how I did, but year five, I feel like it’s going to be the reckoning,” he said. “I’m excited, so I feel like year five, everything’s gonna come together, and I feel like I’m set up for success. So let’s just go do it.”

Aidan Hutchinson Delivered For The Lions In 2025

While the Lions as a whole didn’t get the results that they were looking for, they certainly can’t lay any blame at Hutchinson’s feet.

Not only did he set a new career-high with 14.5 sacks, but he also paced all edge rushers this season with 100 total pressures. In doing so, he equaled Ezekiel Ansah’s 2015 mark for the second-most sacks in a single season in Lions history.

As if that weren’t enough, Hutchinson also earned the fourth-highest grade among edge rushers from Pro Football Focus during the regular season. He was also nominated as a finalist for the 2025 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

During the season, he also earned a lucrative four-year, $180 million extension, which included a $15 million signing bonus, keeping the former Wolverine a member of the Lions through the 2023 NFL season.

Head coach Dan Campbell couldn’t have been happier for the extension when it was signed, referring to Hutchinson as a “pillar” and a “complete football player”.

“Hutch is a pillar for us! He’s a complete football player…he sets edges in the run game, disrupts QBs in the pass game and has awareness and feel in coverage when asked to drop,” Campbell said. “Complete! Fired up to have him long term!”