Tim Twentyman

AsAidan Hutchinsonapproached the podium Thursday in the Tom Kowalski Press Room at the Meijer Performance Center, he set his gallon water jug down and quietly said to himself: 'It's been a while.'

He then stood in front of the microphone and said, 'good to be back,' put his phone down on the podium and started to take questions.

It's been 221 days since Hutchinson broke his leg in Dallas Week 6 on Oct. 13. Thursday was the first time he addressed the media since the injury.

The 24-year-old Pro Bowl pass rusher seemed like a kid in a candy store and even said he hasn't been this excited for OTAs since he arrived in Detroit as the No. 2 pick by the Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Hutchinson has been fully cleared by doctors and trainers to return to the football activities, and he's been a full participant in Detroit's offseason training program.

"I got cleared a while back, and now I'm just rolling with the boys and it feels like I'm back to being myself again," he said. "I'm really looking forward to the season. I think this is the most excited I've been for OTAs in my life. This is the biggest hiatus I've had without playing ball. I'm pumped."

Hutchinson broke his leg in a freak collision with fellow defenderAlim McNeillin a win over the Cowboys that cut short a season that was potentially heading toward some impressive individual accolades.

In just five and a half games, Hutchinson had already amassed 7.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 45 total pressures. He was leading the NFL in all three categories and was the early favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Hutchinson said he's never been through an injury like that and having to battle back from it has made him stronger. It's those trials and tribulations that can sometimes mature both the player and the person.

It was a tough rehab, but now that Hutchinson is on the other side of it, he looks back with gratitude for the experience and how it could mold him to become an even better player moving forward.

And make no mistake, that is Hutchinson's intent. He expects to come back even better in 2025.

"I would say there's motivation, not having (2024) taken away but me putting that on tape, and I had growth in those first five games to where I feel like you evolve as a player," Hutchinson said. "Things were clicking at a high level, and I had a lot of thoughts at the time that were like if I'm thinking about a golf swing, you have the good swing thoughts going on. I had these good pass rushing thoughts and good things going on, and I feel like that's just going to carry over."

We sometimes forget Hutchinson is still so young, something he reminded us of Thursday. He believes there is still a lot of growth to his game even though he's already considered one of the elite pass rushers in the league.

That's motivating him the most heading into this upcoming season.

"I think a lot of people think (the first five games last season) was kind of my ceiling," he said. "I still believe I'm going to continue to push for those greater heights. I'm 24, I'm still a young dude and I don't think that's the peak. That's the point."

Lions fans have to be excited to hear that from what looked to be very happy and very motivated Hutchinson, who is back on the field and ready to make an impact for the Lions' defense.