Aidan Hutchinson is in Phoenix for the Super Bowl festivities and got to talking about year one in a Detroit Lions uniform. You could tell he was holding back on making any huge predictions for Detroit in 2023 but the writing is on the wall.

“I think next year will be a real good year.” was about as far as Hutch would go.

Aidan did say something that struck me about contracts.  “We got everyone coming back. No one is really on a contract year.”  With Jamaal Williams, DJ Chark and others as free agents, Hutch is either assuming they are coming back or he knows that the team is already moving forward with other options.  That is up to Brad Holmes to decide in the coming months.

Aidan Hutchinson also spoke about Ben Johnson returning as OC for the Lions. “Having Ben Johnson back for the offense, it’s gunna be fun, man.”

Hutchinson, who played TE in high school and had 3 interceptions this year, could be used as a weapon of Johnson.

This is the first time in many years any Detroit Lions players spoke about the future in a positive light. And if they did, you could tell it was more just “this is what I’m supposed to say”.  You can tell Aidan Hutchinson believes in his teammates, coaches and future of the team.

Fall of 2023 can’t come soon enough for these players.  They know they left a lot on the bone last year. I expect the Lions will be hungry to finish their meal and make the playoffs.

Note: Hutchinson won Pepsi Rookie Year by the fans and came in 2nd in the NFL honors for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Hutchinson lost out to Sauce Gardner from Detroit Martin Luther King High School. So at least the mitten was well represented in this years rookie class.

Photo: © Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports