Lions hand Jameson Williams new deal but Aidan Hutchinson faces wait
The Lions have signed one of their 2022 first-round picks to a long-term deal.
Jameson Williams heads into the new NFL season with a new long-term contract from the Detroit Lions, but star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson will have to wait for his pay day.
The Lions and wide receiver Williams came to terms on a three-year extension worth $83 million.
Williams was a first-round pick out of Alabama in 2022, the Lions taking the speedster 12th overall.
Injuries and suspensions have meant he has struggled to live up to that draft status, though he helped the Lions to the NFC Championship Game in 2023 and had the best season of his career so far in 2024.
Indeed, Williams racked up 1,001 receiving yards and scored eight total touchdowns, averaging a gaudy 17.1 yards per reception.
The Lions are betting that Williams will continue on that upward trajectory, but discussions over a new deal for Hutchinson have not yet resulted in his reward for developing into one of the game’s premier defensive players.
No deal yet between Lions and Hutchinson
Hutchinson, the second overall pick in 2022, will be a free agent in 2027 when his rookie deal, which features a fifth-year option, expires.
The Lions, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, have held positive discussions towards ensuring Hutchinson never has a chance to get to the open market. Those talks are said to have been professional and amicable, but have not delivered a resolution.
Hutchinson had 21 sacks in his first two seasons and had 7.5 in his first five games of the 2024 season before suffering a fractured tibia and fibula.
He is set to make his return to action on Sunday in the Lions’ 2025 season opener against the Green Bay Packers, who last week pulled off a stunning trade for edge rusher Micah Parsons, promptly handing him a four-year, $186 million contract.
Hutchinson will likely want to paid at a similar rate to Parsons, and his impact and his worth to Detroit suggests he is deserving of such a deal. However, it would be understandable if the Lions are waiting to see how he plays in his return from a devastating injury before committing to that level of investment.