Aidan Hutchinson ‘Super Excited’ to Face Former Wolverines Quarterback

When Aidan Hutchinson takes the field Sunday at Ford Field, it will be a reunion of sorts.

It won’t be the typical NFL matchup between two competitors, but a collision of past and present for the Detroit Lions star EDGE rusher.

On the opposite sideline will be Minnesota Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Hutchinson’s former teammate at the University of Michigan. The two shared a locker room in 2021, when McCarthy was a freshman and Hutchinson the unquestioned leader of a Wolverines team that made a run to the College Football Playoff.

“Yeah, it’ll be exciting. You know, we have a great relationship, and I’ve probably got to shoot him a text this week at some point, letting him know that,” Hutchinson told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m super excited. He’s a great competitor, great player and I’m looking forward to him.”

Hutchinson smiled as he reflected on how quickly their paths have crossed again, this time as NFL opponents.

As the Pro Bowl EDGE expressed, “It’s always weird, you know, how some of the guys you play with just keep continuing to show up (as opponents), you know? And now me and J.J. will get our first matchup, if you want to call it that. It’s going to be fun. I’m sure we’ll laugh a little bit out there.”

Sunday’s game marks McCarthy’s long-awaited return to the lineup following a tough stretch of injuries.

The Vikings’ 2024 first-round pick is back as the starter after Carson Wentz’s season-ending shoulder injury, and will be making his first appearance since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2 against Atlanta.

Unfortunately for McCarthy, the timing couldn’t be worse: Hutchinson is back to playing the best football of his career.

The fourth-year defensive end, in fact, has re-established himself as one of the NFL’s premier pass-rushers.

Through seven games, he ranks tied for fifth among EDGE rushers with six sacks, and leads the league with 48 total pressures.

Plus, in Week 7 against Tampa Bay, Hutchinson generated a season-best 12 pressures against Baker Mayfield.

Hutchinson also has logged a strip-sack in four of his last five games. And for his efforts this season, he’s earned a 92.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the second-best overall mark among 119 qualified EDGEs.

He’s once again proving to be the motor that fuels defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s aggressive unit.

“I think I texted him (last year) when he got drafted, telling him I’ll just roll off a little bit on the end,” a joking Hutchinson said.

Aidan Hutchinson on preparing to face former Michigan teammate JJ McCarthy pic.twitter.com/GBBqzXVvOH
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) October 28, 2025

But rest assured, there won’t be much easing up come Sunday.

Hutchinson’s dominant play has coincided with a resurgence for the rest of Detroit’s defensive front, a unit that entered the year with some valid concerns about depth and consistent production.

Through seven games, though, those worries have evaporated.

The Lions rank third in the NFL with 3.3 sacks per game, and much of that can be attributed to the combination of Hutchinson’s dominance and the emergence of veteran pass-rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad.

“Quan (Muhammad) has definitely added this layer of pass-rush that probably not many people thought was going to be the case this year,” Hutchinson said. “Not anything against Quan, but it was going to be me and Marcus (Davenport), and then Marcus going down, Quan got this unbelievable opportunity, and he’s made the most of it.

“That’s a credit to him and his mindset and how he works, and his ability, too,” Hutchinson added. “I mean, he’s really putting so much good stuff on tape, and that’s a credit to him. I’m happy for him, and I hope this serves him well.”

Another major boost has come from defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who returned in Week 7 and immediately made his presence felt.

McNeill notched five hurries and five total pressures against the Buccaneers, helping collapse the pocket from the interior.

“It was so electric being out there with him and feeling his pressure,” Hutchinson said of McNeill’s season debut against Tampa Bay. “That kind of bleeds over to when you have multiple guys on a defensive line that are getting pressure. It makes your defense so much more dynamic, and he was putting a lot of good stuff on tape, especially for a guy that hadn’t played football for however long.”

Hutchinson believes the collective performance against Tampa Bay will make opponents think twice about how to gameplan for Detroit’s defense moving forward.

“I think because of the Tampa outcome, because of how we played on defense, I don’t think that’s the recipe to beat our defense,” Hutchinson said. “I think that (will be) discouraging for people when they watch that tape to kind of emulate that.”

As for Sunday, it will be personal; and not in a bitter way, but in a proud one for Hutchinson and McCarthy, his Michigan brother.

“It is fun when you play against (former teammates),” Hutchinson said. “I mean, even last week playing against (Buccaneers guard) Ben Bredeson, we played together for a few years. You’re able to share in the moments in between that people don’t see -- you share good moments, funny moments, laughing.”

But once that ball’s snapped Sunday, it will be all business.

For 60 minutes at Ford Field, the former Wolverines teammates will trade camaraderie for competition, with Hutchinson more than ready to chase down his old friend.

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