Aidan Hutchinson was one of the early favorites to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024 with 7.5 sacks through his first five games before a broken leg in Dallas ended his season prematurely.
Hutchinson vowed to come back stronger in 2025 and he made good on that promise.
He led all edge rushers this season with 100 total pressures and set a career high with 14.5 sacks, which tied Ezekiel Ansah (2015) for the second-most sacks a Lions player has logged in a single season behind only Robert Porcher (15.0 in 1999). Hutchinson finished as the fourth highest graded edge rusher by Pro Football Focus during the regular season.
The NFL announced Thursday morning that Hutchinson was named a finalist for the 2025 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
View photos of Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) before an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) celebrates after making a sack on Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 in Baltimore. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) makes a sack on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025 in Cincinnati. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025 in Cincinnati. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) celebrates after a sack humble during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025 in Cincinnati. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) before an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 in Landover, Md. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) sacks New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) during an NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) intercepts a pass during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Inglewood, Calif. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) celebrates during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 in Chicago. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Hutchinson was a stalwart along Detroit's defensive front this season playing 91 percent of the defensive snaps (1,005), a career high. He was named Second-Team All-Pro and earned his second Pro Bowl nod.
He joined T.J. Watt as the only players in the NFL to ever accumulate at least 37.0 sacks and four interceptions through the first 50 games of a player's career. Since quarterback hits were first tracked in 2006, his 89 quarterback hits are the third-most any NFL player has logged through 50 games.
He's currently sixth in franchise history in sacks with 43.0 in just four seasons and 56 games played.
Winners of the Comeback Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year will be announced at NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco during Super Bowl week and will be aired at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and NFL Network with streaming available on Peacock and NFL Plus.
