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Detroit Lions sign first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson to guaranteed $35.7 million deal
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- Detroit Lions sign first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson to guaranteed $35.7 million deal
Aidan Hutchinson's contract is done, just in time for him to take part in Detroit Lions rookie minicamp this weekend.
Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick of last month's NFL draft, signed a four-year contract Monday, his agent Mike McCartney said.
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Rookie deals are slotted under the collective bargaining agreement, making holdouts rare. Hutchinson's four-year contract is worth $35.7 million and includes a $23.1 million signing bonus.
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The deal is fully guaranteed.
The Lions also agreed to terms with on a four-year deal with seventh-round pick Chase Lucas, NFL Network reported.
As the 237th pick of the draft, Lucas' deal is worth $3.78 million and includes a signing bonus of $116,876, according to OverTheCap.com.
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Hutchinson and Lucas are part of a defensive-minded draft class - the Lions spent six of their eight picks on that side of the ball - that the Lions are counting on to transform that unit this fall.
The Lions gave up the second-most points in the NFL last season and finished 27th in sack rate. Hutchinson set a single-season Michigan record with 14 sacks last year, while Lucas was a five-year starter in the Arizona State secondary.
"He checks a lot of boxes that we look for," Lions general manager Brad Holmes said of Hutchinson after Round 1 of the draft. "From an intangible standpoint, he plays with a really high motor. He loves football, he's very passionate about the game.
"But the other thing that I think is lost with Aidan is, a lot of people, when you're talking about pass rushers, you're obviously talking about sacks. He had a lot of them, and he was very productive as a rusher last year. But I think what gets lost is how effective he is in the run game. It's a three-down league and I think what he does in the run game kind of gets overlooked."
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Hutchinson is expected to take over as a starting defensive end on a line that returns Charles Harris and Romeo Okwara , while Lucas will compete for a roster spot at cornerback.
The Lions have six remaining unsigned picks, including Alabama receiver Jameson Williams, who they traded up to get in Round 1.
As the No. 12 pick in the draft, Williams will get a four-year contract worth about $17.5 million that includes a $9.9 million signing bonus.
The contracts for all first-round picks include a fifth-year team option.
The Lions, in recent years, have had most of their draft class under contract before the start of rookie minicamp, which runs Friday-Sunday in Allen Park.
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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions sign first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson to 4-year deal
