To no one's surprise, Detroit has locked up a pair of key players on both sides of the ball through the 2026 season.
The Lions exercised fifth-year options on pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson and wide receiver Jameson Williams, the team announced Friday. The moves keep the 2022 first-round picks under contract for at least the next two seasons.
Teams have until May 1 to pick up the fifth-year options on first-round picks from the 2022 NFL draft.
Hutchinson has been instrumental in Detroit's ongoing rise. The No. 2 overall pick of 2022 burst onto the season as quickly as his rookie season, leading the team with 9.5 sacks while nabbing three interceptions to finish second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Sauce Gardner.
He followed that up with a career-high 11.5 sacks in Year 2, accompanying the Lions' first NFC North title in 30 years. Detroit has maintained that type of success in 2024, but Hutchinson's third campaign was marred by a broken tibia which required immediate season-ending surgery on Oct. 14.
Shortly after taking Hutchinson in 2022, the Lions traded back into Round 1 to select Williams with the No. 12 overall pick. It was a risk considering Williams was still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered toward the end of his final year at Alabama, but the speedy wideout showed his full potential in 2024.
Williams produced 58 receptions for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns in his third season, providing a premier downfield threat for the league's top scoring offense last season.
Hutchinson and Williams are clear examples of the stellar drafting done by general manager Brad Holmes since his arrival in 2021. Friday's announcement by the club was an assuring reminder that the Lions are in good hands.
