The Detroit Lions have extended the contract of wide receiver Jameson Williams, but the team failed to reach an agreement with star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the two sides have had positive talks about a new deal, but Hutchinson and the Lions are not expected to agree to a new contract before the Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
"Lions and Aidan Hutchinson have had positive contract conversations, but are not expected to reach a deal before the season starts today, per sources," Schefter reported.
Detroit still has plenty of time to get something done with Hutchinson, as the former No. 2 overall pick's rookie deal runs through 2026 with the fifth-year option.
General manager Brad Holmes has made it very clear that extending Hutchinson is a big priority for Detroit, as it should be.
“We have had dialogue that has started and so we’ll just kind of see where it goes,” he said. “But in terms of the level of importance, yeah, that has not changed. Aidan’s very important.”
Not extending Hutchinson now means the Lions will get a chance to see how well he returns from the broken tibia and fibula he suffered last season.
On the flip side, the longer the Lions wait, the more expensive Hutchinson could become. Hutchinson's price has likely already gone up after the offseason extensions for Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett.
Hutchinson will also help his cause by putting together a big 2025 season, something the Lions expect him to do.
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