Entering the 2025 season, one of the biggest worries the Detroit Lions had was whether or not Aidan Hutchinson would effectively rebound off the catastrophic leg injury that cut short his 2024 season.
Thankfully, Hutchinson was able to step up and show that he is still as strong as ever with his elite performance in 2025. In spite of facing down double teams and plenty of attention up front, Hutchinson was his dangerous self, racking up 36 tackles and 14.5 sacks, which was very nearly a franchise high.
Such work would have been likely to make Hutchinson a shoo-in for the Comeback Player of the Year award in previous seasons, but there have been plenty of players that have fought through adversity well this season that Hutchinson may end up finishing a distant second for the award.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell revealed Hutchinson to be his No. 2 pick for the award, and explained that the defensive end was back to his old tricks just a year removed from a critical injury.
"Returning from a serious leg injury, Hutchinson looked every bit as impressive as he did before surgery. He set career highs in sacks (14.5) and knockdowns (35) during a difficult season for the Lions, all while facing the seventh-highest rate of chips or double-teams of any edge rusher. The No. 2 pick in 2022 easily deserved the four-year, $180 million extension he signed in October."
Despite Hutchinson's work, Barnwell believes New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave deserves to win the honor. Whether Hutchinson contends for the award or not, it's hard to disagree with Barnwell's assessment that it was a big comeback year for the defensive end.
Thankfully for the Lions, Hutchinson was a dominating force again, setting a career high in sacks. If the Lions can get him more elite help up front, he could be even more dangerous in 2026.
Hutchinson glad to be finished with 'challenging' comeback season
While he excelled on the field, certainly, the 2025 season wasn't an easy one for Hutchinson. Not only did he have to prove himself again off injury, but he had to face double teams and the pressure of being the only elite edge rusher on the team outside the surprising Al-Quadin Muhammad.
As he explained to Stacey Dales of NFL Network after the 19-16 win over the Chicago Bears, Hutchinson is glad to be through the difficulty of his return season, and feels blessed to be able to be happy and productive again on the field.
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"A lot of ups and downs. A lot of high moments and low moments.I feel like I was able to stay pretty (even) through it all. I've been reflecting a little bit, and it's good to be on the other side of what happened this whole last year. Extremely blessed for my situation, my health and that we got the win."
As for the season, Hutchinson was frustrated that he was unable to deliver upon the goals of the franchise, but understands how thin the margin of error was and believes brighter days are ahead.
"It sucks. We just lost some close games in the run and that really hurt us. It's a (expletive) feeling, but I think we're going to come back hungry next year and get the job done."
With Hutchinson leading the way, the Lions can count on more fantastic production up front. Lost in a frustrating season was his elite play off injury and continued emergence as a dominating defensive presence.