Packers look smarter in the details that truly matter of Micah Parsons’ deal after Lions hand Aidan Hutchinson big extension
Detroit gave Hutchinson a four-year contract extension, and even though Parsons is still the highest-paid defender in NFL history, the structure is pretty positive for Green Bay.
There’s no way around it. Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson are two truly elite edge defenders. And after the Green Bay Packers traded and gave Parsons a monster extension, it was just a matter of time before the Detroit Lions paid Hutchinson in the same ballpark.
It happened on Wednesday, with the Lions agreeing to a four-year, $180 million extension with Hutchinson, keeping him in Detroit through 2030.
Packers had a great contract structure as usual
The Packers had to open a big exception in terms of contract structure because Parsons had the leverage during the trade process. Green Bay gave him a four-year, $186 million extension and made an unusual structure. For the first time ever, the Packers gave full guarantees beyond Year 1 for a non-quarterback.
However, it was still a solid, relatively team-friendly structure. Yes, Parsons is still the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at $46.5 million a year in new money, but his guarantees are not as high as they could have been.
When the Packers signed Parsons, he received $136 million in total guarantees — $123.1 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Even though Hutchinson will make $45 million a year in total value, his total guarantees are higher — $141 million, including $112 million fully guaranteed at signing and $29 million in an injury guarantee for 2029 that converts to a full guarantee in March 2028.
Under these circumstances, Hutchinson has five virtually guaranteed years on his deal and a team option in 2030. The Packers can realistically get out of Parsons’ deal after three years, giving Green Bay two years of contract flexibility.
Obviously, this is still a good deal for the Lions — after all, paying elite players is a good strategy. It just highlights that, even without leverage, Packers executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball built a structure that allows the team to keep building a strong roster around Parsons and quarterback Jordan Love, even if not everything goes right in the next few years.
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