Detroit wants to extend the contracts of both players, who are entering the fourth year on their rookie contracts. Both will not be cheap.
Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks after his first five games of last season, but suffered a severe leg injury which forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Before he was injured, hutchinson was on track to break the NFL single-season record for sacks and a frontrunner for the Defensive player of the Year award. Hutchinson had hoped to make a comeback if the Lions reached the Super Bowl. However, their loss in the divisional round to the Commanders last season ended all hopes of a return. Dave Birkett, of the Detroit Free Press , reports that he is expected to take part in offseason training in the coming months. Hutchinson, barring any setbacks or injuries, should be ready to play in Week 1 of 2025.
Hutchinson has seen his value increase in recent months, with Maxx and Myles Garrett signing lucrative extension deals. Garrett’s deal reached $40MM annually. Micah Parsons could surpass this with their contract extension.
The Lions’ general manager Brad Holmes acknowledged the explosive market for elite edge rushers at a league meeting in Florida.
He said, “We already had it at that level, sort of, when we did our future budgeting and planning,” (via Justin Rogers, Detroit Football Network). “But when it goes up it will go up. That’s what you have to prepare for.” I have no idea what the outcome will be. We work hard to forecast the market and make predictions. We’ve budgeted for many people like him .”
Hutchinson, who is only 24 years old, is one of the best pass rushers in the league. In that case, the Lions should move quickly to complete the deal. He could be pushing for the highest APY among non-quarterbacks. Hutchinson’s cap in 2025 is $11.4MM with a second-year option of $20.9MM that the Lions are expected to take up. according to OverTheCap. Hutchinson’s contract, even if it exceeds $40MM annually on the extension, will become more affordable over time as the salary cap increases and the edge rusher markets increase.
Joseph is also looking to capitalize on the strong 2024 market and a growing safety market. He has led the NFL in interceptions with 17 since 2022. Antoine Winfield reshaped the safety market with a $21.025MM APY last off-season, but Joseph could also be considering a massive increase to cornerback pay when he negotiates his extension.
“He is a player we want to retain and we have made that known,” stated Holmes, according to Rogers. “He is a good fit for our team. He’s an excellent player but we’ll see how it turns out in terms of timing .”
According to OverTheCap , Joseph is owed $3.6MM in 2025 as he reached the second level of NFL’s Proven Performace Escalator. A contract extension could lower his cap hit in 2025 by $2.04MM.
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