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Lions haven't had "any intense talks" with Aidan Hutchinson yet
Lions haven't had "any intense talks" with Aidan Hutchinson yet

NBC Sports

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • NBC Sports

Lions haven't had "any intense talks" with Aidan Hutchinson yet

The Lions want to sign star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a contract extension, but they have not had any 'intense talks' yet. 'Look, we'll definitely get some dialogue going soon here, but those things take time, especially the larger the deal is,' General Manager Brad Holmes said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. Holmes said at the Scouting Combine that the Lions were in the 'planning stages' for a Hutchinson extension. Since then, edge rushers Maxx Crosby (three years, $106.5 million), Myles Garrett (four years, $160 million) and T.J. Watt (three years, $123 million) have signed extensions. Hutchinson is scheduled to make $5.575 million this year and $19.872 million in 2026 on the fifth-year option. In three seasons, he has 28.5 sacks and 65 quarterback hits. He played only five games last season before fracturing his tibia and fibula in a game against the Cowboys. 'As the player, he's [Hutchinson] looked great,' Holmes said, via Ryan Mathews of 'I'm really not all that surprised just because of tracking him since college, since his early days at Michigan, he had that big injury [fractured ankle] at Michigan, and he came back, I think nobody would argue, a better player. I don't want to say it's exactly the same because the games haven't kicked off yet, but what he's showing in practice, the change of direction, the explosiveness. I mean, he's not [showing] any effects, but I'm not surprised when a guy like him has that kind of mindset.'

Brad Holmes talks Aidan Hutchinson extension, possible Za'Darius Smith reunion
Brad Holmes talks Aidan Hutchinson extension, possible Za'Darius Smith reunion

USA Today

time3 days ago

  • Sport
  • USA Today

Brad Holmes talks Aidan Hutchinson extension, possible Za'Darius Smith reunion

Could the Lions bring back their 2024 midseason veteran addition for a second round? The door hasn't been closed yet. Lions general manager Brad Holmes briefly discussed the defensive end position during his appearance Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. That talk included a potential extension for Aidan Hutchinson as well as bringing back Za'Darius Smith. Holmes noted that the two sides haven't "had really any intense talks yet" regarding a new contract. "Look, we'll definitely get some dialogue going soon here, but those things take time, especially the larger the deal is," Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket. The Pittsburgh Steelers recently gave T.J. Watt a three-year extension worth $123 million, making him the highest-paid defensive end in terms of average annual value. That topped the $40 million per year extension Myles Garrett signed earlier this offseason with the Cleveland Browns, which itself topped the $35 million per year extension for Maxx Crosby with the Las Vegas Raiders. Hutchinson is under contract for two more years, including his fifth-year option in 2026 worth $19.8 million. As for Smith, Holmes is leaving the door on bringing back the veteran pass-rusher who had four sacks last season, essentially filling in for the injured Hutchinson. Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket: Za'Darius did a lot of good things last year for us and we said we're going to keep in contact with his agent, but everything's not just one-sided. Za'Darius has expectations, the team has expectations, so sometimes it takes a while for those things to get on the same page. Especially a guy that's been in the league as long as he has, I'm not saying that he doesn't want to be in training camp, but if he misses some time, there's obviously still interest there and we've been keeping in touch. Smith has previously said he would like to return to the Lions. It's now a matter of how mutual that feeling is.

Brad Holmes: Isaac TeSlaa was my favorite receiver in the draft
Brad Holmes: Isaac TeSlaa was my favorite receiver in the draft

NBC Sports

time30-04-2025

  • Sport
  • NBC Sports

Brad Holmes: Isaac TeSlaa was my favorite receiver in the draft

General Manager Brad Holmes has built the Lions into a winner in recent years and that earns him the opportunity to take some chances in the draft. Holmes took one of them in the third round this year. He dealt the 102nd pick and two 2026 third-rounders to move up to No. 70 in order to select wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa out of Arkansas. The Lions got a couple of other mid-round picks in the deal, but the success of the trade will fall on a wideout who few expected to go so early. TeSlaa brings a lot of size to the slot, which would be a different look for the Lions, and worked out well at the Combine, which led Holmes to give him a different grade than others and he said on 97.1 The Ticket that the price was worth it for a player he coveted. 'The pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa. I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft,' Holmes said. 'I'm not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft, but favorite wide receiver in the draft, yes.' Holmes has faced doubts about some of his other draft moves, but he's gotten the last laugh on most of them. If he's done it again, the Lions offense will be even stronger.

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