Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Saturday that sources close to Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson believe Hutchinson will have a “realistic chance” to return for the Super Bowl should the team make it that far.
One source even reportedly believes that it will be more surprising if Hutchinson does not make it back for a potential Super Bowl appearance than if he does.
Schefter further adds that Hutchinson doesn’t consider his current injury to be as severe as the fractured right ankle that he suffered as a junior at Michigan in 2020.
The 24-year-old Pro Bowler Hutchinson is recovering from a fractured left tibia and fibula that he suffered last Sunday in a win over the Detroit Lions (video here). Hutchinson has already undergone surgery to repair the fractures and has been placed on injured reserve by the Lions.
The injury suffered by Hutchinson was about as gruesome as can be, and his absence (as the leading pass rusher) will directly impact the Lions’ ability to make the Super Bowl (something they have never done in franchise history). But Detroit did just make the NFC Championship Game last season for the first time since 1991, and Hutchinson seems to think that he has a shot at making it back for a possible run to the Super Bowl, which is set for three-and-a-half months from now on Feb. 9, 2025.