The Detroit Lions have a number of players who are candidates for contract extensions this offseason. Among them are veterans Carlton Davis and Kevin Zeitler, as well as members of the 2022 draft class who are entering the final year of their rookie contract.

One specific player who falls into the second category is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. He’s an intriguing case, as he’s coming off a significant leg injury that cost him the second half of what was likely going to be a banner season.

Now, the Lions will be tasked with adequately valuing the future potential of the Michigan product who was leading the league in sacks prior to his injury. He’s a candidate to earn an extension that would reset the market for edge rushers with the salary cap continuing to climb.

“If the cap is gonna continue to climb by $20 million each year, you could look like a real genius by getting deals like this done early,” said co-host Christian Booher. “Yes, I believe Aidan Hutchinson has a chance to reset the market for players at his position. But again, you think about the injury, maybe the value goes down just a little bit. But I think the Lions are gonna do everything they can to get this thing done early. You do have the option of taking the fifth-year option and letting it play out, but the Lions have the persona of being a team that likes to avoid the drama that comes with the contract disputes and the holdouts, and things of that nature that we’ve seen across the league for the last several years.”

The latest ‘Lone Wolves’ podcast explores the different contract decisions the Lions are facing and previews the week ahead at the NFL Scouting Combine.

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