Aidan Hutchinson will not return to action for the Detroit Lions in 2024. However, it is expected that he will be ready to go in 2025 after breaking his leg during Sunday’s NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys.
But that timeline does not necessarily mean training camp!
There is a chance that Hutchinson could get back on the field this season if his team makes it to New Orleans in February. Seriously. People close to the 24-year-old defensive end genuinely believe that he could rejoin the Lions for the Super Bowl.
A close member of @aidanhutch97 told me the following.
— michael stone (@stoney16) October 14, 2024
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.
Obviously, Detroit has to get there first. And even if it does make it to the NFL championship game, Hutchinson would need to avoid any complications. His rehab and recovery would need to be perfect, if not superhuman.
The former No. 2 overall pick was carted off the field with a broken tibia on Sunday. It was gross.
Aidan Hutchinson is down after the previous play. pic.twitter.com/1l1kTN7Blb
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024
Doctors decided to perform immediate emergency surgery upon his arrival to a Dallas-area hospital. Early indication is that went according to plan. He will stay in Texas for a few days and return to Michigan later in the week. Hutchinson will miss the remainder of the regular season. Most tibial shaft fractures take four to six months to heal completely.
According to Ian Rapoport, “the early prognosis is that being ready for 2025 shouldn’t be an issue.” All things considered, that is great news. To have someone in Hutchinson’s camp tease a possible return for the Super Bowl is even better news.
With all of that being said, it is way too early in the recovery process to have any legitimate understanding of what the next few months might look like. However, Aidan Hutchinson fractured his ankle at Michigan in 2020 and was able to get back on the field ahead of schedule. Maybe he will do it again.
In the meantime, the Lions will be forced to play without the league’s sack leader and potential defensive player of the year. They can only hope to have him back for the Super Bowl.