Jan. 22, 2026, 4:10 p.m. ET
On Thursday, the NFL announced finalists for its 2025 NFL Honors, with Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson named as a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year.
Hutchinson enjoyed a stellar 2025 campaign in his return to play after suffering a gruesome season-ending leg injury in 2024. The 6-foot-7, 268-pound pass rusher registered 54 tackles (36 solo, 18 assisted), a career-high in sacks (14.5) and forced fumbles (4), and one interception while starting all 17 games.
Hutchinson led the NFL with 100 pressures and made Pro Football Focus history, becoming the only player with multiple 100-plus pressure seasons since PFF began tracking player performances in 2006.
Hutchinson logged 1,005 defensive snaps, which set a new career-high and accounted for 91% of all Detroit defensive snaps.
Hutchinson is already sixth in Lions franchise history with 43.0 career sacks in just four seasons and 56 games played. The star Detroit pass rusher joined T.J. Watt as the only players in the NFL to ever accumulate at least 37.0 sacks and four interceptions through the first 50 games of a player’s career.
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The four finalists joining Hutchinson for the Comeback Player of the Year award include New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
The winner of the Comeback Player of the Year award will be presented at NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco during Super Bowl week and will be aired at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and NFL Network with streaming available on Peacock and NFL Plus.
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