But wait, there’s more: Lions pick up options for Hutchinson, Jamo Williams

ABOVE, MIDDLE: Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson poses during a pre-game ceremony before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL divisional round playoff game in Detroit in 2024. ABOVE: Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, left, reacts after making a catch in front of Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland during the second half of a 2023 game in Arlington, Texas. ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESS FILE PHOTOS

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By Nolan Bianchi

The Detroit News

The Detroit Lions have opted to pick up the fifth-year options of pass-rushing superstar Aidan Hutchinson and wide receiver Jameson Williams, a league source confirmed to The Detroit News on Friday.

Hutchinson’s deal will pay the former Michigan star, who missed the final 12 games of the 2024 season with a fractured tibia and fibula, a total of $20.8 million for the 2026 season. Williams, meanwhile, will make $15.5 million in the fifth year of his deal as the Lions try to determine his role in the team’s plans for 2027 and beyond. The cost of both fifth-year options was determined by draft slot and the number of Pro Bowls achieved (only Hutchinson has been to a Pro Bowl of the duo).

The attention now turns to both players’ second contracts, where Holmes has his work cut out for him. Hutchinson is speeding toward becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The edge market reset itself earlier this offseason, with Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns, $40 million annually), Danielle Hunter (Houston Texans, $35.6 million) and Eastern Michigan product Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders, $35.5 million annually) all earning top-of-market deals.

“It is what it is,” Holmes said at the NFL’s annual league meetings regarding how those new deals will impact Hutchinson’s. “We had it in that range, kind of already, when we do our future planning and budgeting. But then, obviously, when it goes up, it just goes up. That’s just what you’ve got to prepare for. I don’t know what it will end up being. That’s the difficult part about our job, but we work really hard in terms of the prediction forecasting of that market.”

If Williams can put together another 1,000-yard season, he could potentially be headed toward a payday akin to that of Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals, $28.8 million) and Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins, $28.3 million).

Following a report from Sports Illustrated suggesting the Lions could be looking to trade Williams this weekend, Holmes squashed the buzz on Thursday night after Round 1 of the NFL Draft.

“That’s something we have never entertained. I don’t know where that report came from, but that’s not a conversation that me and (Lions head coach) Dan (Campbell) have ever had,” Holmes said.

It can be assumed the decision to pick up Hutchinson’s option is the second-easiest personnel decision Holmes and Campbell have made during their tenures — right after the decision to draft him in the first place, after the Jacksonville Jaguars passed on the former Michigan star in favor of Georgia’s Travon Walker.

“We couldn’t get the call in fast enough once we knew (Jacksonville) didn’t take Aidan,” Campbell said during Hutchinson’s rookie minicamp.

Hutchinson led the NFL in pressures (45) and sacks (7 ½) at the time of his Week 6 injury, which followed Detroit’s Week 5 bye. He remained the league’s leader in pressures until Week 8, when his totals was surpassed by San Francisco pass rusher Nick Bosa.

Players and coaches have raved about Hutchinson’s work ethic.

“Hutch is a dynamic player, but he’s a better person,” newly minted defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

Williams bloomed a little later after missing most of his rookie season with a torn ACL and serving a four-game suspension to begin his second season.

But in 2024, when the Lions went 15-2, he was as dynamic as they come (despite also serving a two-game suspension in that season). There’s a case to be made that Williams is one of the most explosive players in the entire league, with five of his nine touchdowns (including playoffs) last season coming from beyond 50 yards. Over 15 games, Williams finished with 58 catches for 1,0001 yards.

“I love that kid because he’s had to endure a lot, and some of it is his own doing and he knows that, and that’s what I appreciate is that … it took him a minute to buy into what we were doing. … But he’s learned along the way and he’s growing,” Campbell said in January.

As Detroit looks to climb the mountain and win a Super Bowl, contributions from Hutchinson and Williams remain a massive piece of the puzzle over at least the next two seasons.