Aidan Hutchinson has been a fixture for football fans in Detroit for much longer than the past three years. From Divine Child High School to the University of Michigan and finally to the Detroit Lions, fans have watched Hutchinson's stardom continue to climb, to now, a superstar in the NFL.
Watch the full interview in the video below
Ahead of year three with the Lions, Hutchinson says he does feel older and more comfortable with his role in Detroit.
"Things are just clicking right now on the field and I feel like it's so smooth. I feel like this year is going to be a special one as a team and individually."
Hutchinson said there are a lot of differences between the player Detroit saw in year one versus the player Detroit will see in 2024 – a defensive star who was voted as one of six captains of this year's Lions team.
"Initially, you go into the NFL as a first rounder, as the No. 2 pick, I guess I didn't really realize the expectation or the pressure. It's a business. Now, I really embrace it going into year three," he said.
Hutchinson admitted that he used to hide from the pressure a little bit, but now he loves it. When it's crunch time and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is looking for a play to be made, he wants that look from the sideline to be directed right at him.
"Put it on me. That's been my mentality this year," Hutchinson said.
During training camp, the Lions staff was not shy about the quality of play that Hutchinson had been putting on display.
"Hutch has just continued to have a damn good camp," said head coach Dan Campbell.
Hutchinson smiled at that quote from his head coach and admits that he feels like he has already taken another step this year.
"That is a great compliment coming from Dan," said Hutchinson. "Year three, it's like, it's game on now, it's time to go. I've gotten stronger and faster. Every off-season I put everything into the year. When you continue to stack those consistently, you kind of create a monster a little bit."
With how much of the fan base Hutchinson already has behind him, to hear him say he has created a monster, is music to the ears of fans eagerly awaiting another season out of this Lions team. It's a Lions team that has delivered fans the wins they have been waiting for with a brand of football that they embrace.
And when you look at their star on defense and the way he plays, that brand and Aidan Hutchinson very much go hand in hand. He know the culture in place was built by Campbell and his staff, but since the foundation, it's now player led.
"It's amazing. Even what Dan is all about, I love it," said Hutchinson. "It's a result of the players buying into that culture as well."
Hutchinson hasn't been shy about his feelings that this coming season could be the season Detroit finally reaches the Super Bowl. He admits it might sound bold, but when you have the reasoning and experience driving that opinion, it's not all that outlandish to think that the Lions really could be that team.
"I think we needed to go through last year in order to do what we are going to do this year," explained Hutchinson. "All of our foundational players, we handle adversity really well. When we get back to there, we're not going to let that opportunity slip from us again."
