Copyright yardbarker
On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions penned the biggest deal of the year when they signed Aidan Hutchinson for $180 million. The big question right after getting that deal done is how the Lions can make sure they get this deal done and still have money to get Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch to big deals that could lead the market at their respective positions. Breakdown of Aidan Hutchinson's extension To start, here are the details via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated:Four new years, $180 million in new money.• $15 million signing bonus.• $28.407 million option bonus in March.• $55.7 million fully guaranteed at signing.• $45.972 million total in 2025-26 (all fully guaranteed, with $25 million new money).• $29.55 million in 2027: all guaranteed for injury, $10 million fully guaranteed, with the rest becoming fully guaranteed in March 2026.• $29.55 million for 2028: all guaranteed for injury, vests as fully guaranteed in March 2027.• $49.55 million in 2029, $35.428 million guaranteed for injury, $29 million of which vests as fully guaranteed in March 2028. $6.428 million vests as fully guaranteed in March 2029.• $42 million in 2030: no guarantees, with a $2.75 million roster bonus due in March.• $250,000 workout bonus each offseason (2026-30).• $200,000 in per-game roster bonuses in '27, '28, '29 and '30.Myself and our cap expert and Packers beat writer, Wendell Ferreira, sat down and looked over the details, and here's what we came away with: Wendell: The Detroit Lions unsurprisingly decided to make a backloaded structure, trying to maximize the team's window over the next few years. It's a quarterback-esque contract format, with option bonuses to set new prorations — a trend that has gained traction over the past few years with Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles. The goal with that approach is to keep the cap hits low for as long as possible early on, and the inevitable downside is that the bill will eventually come due down the line. The Lions are okay with that because they have other important players to extend and want to keep the core together.The rolling guarantees make the structure very player-friendly in the sense that it gets nearly impossible to cut him at any point, while the team doesn't need to put fully-guaranteed money in an escrow — an outdated but still active NFL rule. Essentially, the deal secures that Hutchinson will play for the Lions at least through 2029, so I would say it's $138 million in practical guarantees, slightly above what Micah Parsons got from the Packers at $136 million. Mike: This is very much like what the Lions have done with Kerby Joseph and Jameson Williams' deals. You'll see heavy amounts of dead cap up front in order to lower the cap hits up front as well. This is how the Lions are going to be able to get these other deals done. As Ferreira notes, that could make things a little harder down the line, but at least you get these pillar players on the board. The juice is worth the squeeze. Low signing bonus Wendell: The initial signing bonus is just $15 million, compared to Micah Parsons' $44 million. That's just how differently the Lions and Packers approach contract structure. By doing that, a model that the San Francisco 49ers tend to use, the Lions are able to lower Hutchinson's cap hit in 2025 and 2026, also making a trade more viable in the future if desired or needed, without absorbing an absurd amount in dead money, even if a release is highly unlikely anyway.Mike: Again, this is similar to a question we just got in our mailbag on Kerby Joseph. This is where the deals look pretty team-friendly. If something does go wrong down the line, they're not tied to a player because the cost of trading that player is going to be pretty low, dead cap-wise. Setting up another deal Wendell: Because of the proration and lower cap hits early on, this deal will be very expensive for the Lions at the end of it. In 2030, Detroit will pay Hutchinson $42 million, but none of that is guaranteed, and there's a $2.75 million roster bonus due in March to force an early decision. Usually, teams and agents structure deals that way to set up a new extension. If everything goes right, the parties will sit at the table again by 2029 and agree to a third deal, keeping money prorated and manageable cap hits for a little longer. If things don't go right, it will be the time for the Lions to make a decision (trade or cut) and live with the dead money.Mike: This makes sense for not just Hutchinson's deal, but Jared Goff's as well. There's a possibility that a restructure could be coming for him after this season that could open up $40 million in cap space in 2026. That's likely to add extra void years to his deal to stretch some of the later cap hits out. That could eventually set Goff up with the opportunity to get a second deal with the Lions. Hutchinson, being a big-time player here, could get his third deal as Wendell mentioned.
