Detroit Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome season-ending leg injury on Sunday against the Cowboys. But according to reports, it may not even be as bad as what happened to him in 2020 at Michigan:
Former Michigan football star and current Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson was well on his way to a career year in the NFL before suffering a fractured left fibula and tibia against the Dallas Cowboys . He was leading the NFL in sacks with 7.5 up until his injury.
The unfortunate injury — which happened when his leg collided with defensive line teammate Alim McNeil when they were rushing toward Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott — is actually not the first major injury Hutchinson has endured during his football career. He also sustained a nasty season-ending fracture in his right ankle during his college career with the Michigan Wolverines .
According to multiple reports, including 97.1’s Mike Stone and The Detroit News ’ Richard Silva and Nolan Bianchi — who appear to have the same source that is very close to the situation — Hutchinson’s injury at Michigan is actually worse than the one he just suffered on Sunday.
“A close member of (Hutchinson) told me the following. Even though it looked bad, it’s less of an injury than he suffered in college. Pretty soon he will be bionic. When we make it to the Super Bowl , he will be ready to go,” Stone wrote on social media.
“A source close to Hutchinson told The Detroit News on Sunday that the injury appears less severe than a worst-case scenario and Hutchinson might be able to return for the Super Bowl, should the Lions make it,” Silva and Bianchi wrote.
The timeline for Hutchinson’s current injury is four-to-six months. The timeline for his ankle injury at Michigan was four months, and according to this story published by MLive in March 2021, Hutchinson was close to returning to health and was three months removed from surgery.
Hutchinson was fully healthy during Michigan’s 2021 season in which it won the Big Ten Championship and made the College Football Playoff for the first time ever. Hutchinson finished in second place in the Heisman Trophy voting that year after compiling 62 tackles, 16.5 for loss, a program-record 14 sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He was a consensus All-American, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and the MVP of the conference championship game, among many other accolades.
Perhaps Chris Hutchinson … I mean, the source for these two reports … is right and that Aidan can return to the Lions if they indeed make a run at the Super Bowl. That would be an amazing sight to see — hell, the Lions making the Super Bowl would be incredible by itself, but having Hutch out there with a chance to make history would be even more special.
Fingers crossed that his recovery is just as quick as the one he went through in Ann Arbor.