WATCH: Aidan Hutchinson recaps his rookie year, previews his second year in the NFL
Former Michigan star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was a dominant force during his rookie season with the Detroit Lions. The franchise had a breakthrough season (9-8 overall) and even though they didn’t make the 2023 NFL Playoffs, the Lions were still one of the league’s most exciting and talented teams to watch every week. Individually, Hutchinson brought home Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year honors, voted on by NFL fans across the country. On Thursday afternoon, he sat down with Dave Sulfaro of PFF and discussed his rookie season and his thoughts heading into his second year in the league.
Check it out.
The Lions finished off their regular season with a 20-16 win over the Green Bay Packers. The victory was extra special, since Detroit eliminated the Packers from the playoff picture. Not only that, it was a road win in front of the Green Bay fans at Lambeau Field.
“Man, it was a great way to end the season. We knew it was the end, but we knew if we beat ’em it’d be their end, too. So, it was a great way to go out, man. Unfortunately, you couldn’t make it to the playoffs, but the boys were rollin’ that day,” Hutchinson said.
The former Michigan star is fired up about all the talented pieces returning in the Motor City. “I’m not one to make any predictions, now. But I think next year’s going to be a real good year, man. I can feel it. Going into year two, I feel like this is gonna be a really good year all around for all the boys. We’ve got everybody coming back. No one’s really on a contract year. So, having Ben Johnson, back, too for the offense. It’s gonna be fun, man,” Hutchinson said.
Johnson proved to be one of the best play callers in the National Football League last year and his return for next season is absolutely massive for the franchise. He briefly flirted with some head coaching opportunities before deciding to come back to Detroit for another year. Johnson and the Lions will have no shortage of weapons at their disposal, one of the league’s best backfields in Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift. Quarterback Jared Goff also played surprisingly well last season for the Lions and he’ll have one of the league’s young superstars returning in Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Hutchinson was dominant in his rookie campaign and played like the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft should. He led all rookies with 9.5 sacks and racked up three interceptions to go along with two fumble recoveries. Only one other player in NFL history has produced a stat line like that one–Hall of Famer Richard Dent.
It’s going to be exciting to watch Hutchinson and the Lions yet again during the 2023-2024 NFL season.