While two teams get ready for the Super Bowl, one thought consumed Aidan Hutchinson: Why aren’t the Lions one of them? The Lions couldn’t make the postseason for the first time since 2022. In his latest message, the star pass rusher made it clear that patience is wearing thin. He believes that just being competitive is no longer enough, and the standard has shifted to bigger things.

“It’s no longer 2022, where if we win a game, everybody’s screaming in the locker room, cheering,” he said on NFL on Fox. “It’s just the expectation at this point. When we’re not doing that, not even when I don’t care what people say about us, I don’t care what reporters say. Like the overall expectation for what guys believe we should be capable of is that it’s winning every week. It’s playoffs, its Super Bowl. Like the fact that we haven’t made one, it does piss me off at this point because I know what we can do.”

Aidan Hutchinson’s message shows that winning games is the new baseline, and he believes his team can pull it off. But for that to happen, the team locker room has to do better. The team had a 5-2 start, but then inconsistency dragged them down to 7-5 by Week 12.

They couldn’t win consecutive games after Week 6 and lost three of the final four games. Moreover, the way the season ended was tough because they were the NFC’s No.1 seed the previous season.

This is a team that won the divisional title in 2023. However, two years later, newer problems had arisen. Similar to their 2024 season, they suffered from a battered lineup. They were the second-most-injured team in the league, according to some reports.

They lost key defensive players, including Marcus Davenport, Alim McNeill, and Kerby Joseph. Ultimately, the Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Vikings ended their playoff contention. After the season’s conclusion, head coach Dan Campbell couldn’t hide his frustration.

“That’s just the way it is. We didn’t do enough,” Campbell said. “Hopefully, it does sting. It stings for us to get back here in offseason workouts and training camp that we’re even hungrier than we’ve ever been hopefully that propels us into next year.”

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With the finale around the corner, Aidan Hutchinson’s regret of not winning the ring only grows.

Aidan Hutchinson talks about what’s needed next year after a disappointing season

On February 8, the New England and Seattle Seahawks will face off one last time. Spending four seasons with the Lions and without winning the Lombardi Trophy even once, though, is the only thing on Aidan Hutchinson’s mind. For him, the frustration boils over because he doesn’t doubt ‌his team’s capability.

“It pisses you off a little bit because we know the talent we got on our team and we know like what we’re capable of,” he said. “We just got to put it together and play complementary football and we’ll be all right. So that’s that’s what we got to do next year if we want to be in the big show.”

In the 2025 season, the Lions had several impressive performances. Four players earned All-Pro honors, and six were scheduled to go to the Pro Bowl. Right tackle Penei Sewell received First-Team All-Pro honors for the third straight season. He allowed only two sacks and was PFF’s top-graded tackle. Additionally, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown earned Second-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. 

Aidan Hutchinson himself had an impressive fourth season after limited appearances in 2024. The Lions’ edge rusher did not just return from the broken leg he suffered in Week 6 at Dallas last season. He reasserted himself among the NFL’s elite, finishing as a finalist for both Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. Hutchinson earned his second Pro Bowl nod while piling up 14.5 sacks, 54 tackles, and four forced fumbles.

With enough quality on the roster, his demand from the locker room is clear. Talent isn’t enough anymore, and the Lions must turn expectations into results. With free agency approaching, the team is assessing its roster to put its best foot forward.