ALLEN PARK — Aidan Hutchinson and the Detroit Lions won’t be participating in the postseason this year.
But Hutchinson will be all over screens this Sunday while serving as a guest analyst for ESPN’s pregame show. Hutchinson will be in the studio in New York starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. He will appear throughout the three-hour “Postseason NFL Countdown” broadcast.
The star Lions pass rusher will join Adam Schefter, Rex Ryan, Randy Moss, Alex Smith, Mike Greenberg and Tedy Bruschi throughout the show. The Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers-Philadelphia wild-card matchups fill out Sunday’s playoff offerings.
Hutchinson is fresh off his second Pro Bowl nod and first appearance on an AP All-Pro team. The 25-year-old was named to the second team after leading the NFL with 100 pressures and setting a new career best with 14.5 sacks. Since Pro Football Focus started tracking pressures, there have been only six players to hit 100, and Hutchinson is the only one to do it twice.
The former Michigan standout played in every game this season and was second on the team in defensive snaps. He answered every potential concern lingering from last year’s season-ending injury in the process.
Hutchinson is locked down for the long haul, too. He and the Lions agreed to a four-year extension worth $180 million and $141 million guaranteed. He received the most-ever guaranteed money for a non-quarterback player with the deal. Now, he’ll get his first crack as an ESPN in-studio analyst, previously making a surprise appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show” earlier this year.
