JJ Watt knows what it’s like to have an NFL season ended abruptly by a broken leg, so he was understandably emotional about the gruesome injury Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson suffered on Sunday in Dallas.
“Aidan Hutchinson no,” the legendary Houston Texans defensive end and current CBS Sports analyst wrote of X. “Damn man, that’s horrifying.”
Hutching was carted off the field in Dallas after breaking his left tibia on a sack of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during Sunday’s 47-9 Lions victory at AT&T Stadium.
Watt broke his left tibia in 2017, which ended his season, though he did return in 2018 and recorded a whopping 16 sacks for Houston.
Hutchinson’s injury was so gruesome that Fox Sports broadcasters Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt refused to show the replay.
Aidan Hutchinson (97) of Detroit Lions is controlled by, among others, DJ Reader (98).
JJ Watt (left) reacted to the horrific leg injury suffered by Aidan Hutchinson (right) on Sunday
JJ Watt knows what it’s like to have an NFL season ended abruptly by a broken leg
“It’s a heartbreaking scene here in Arlington. We’re not going to show you the replay because we saw it at intermission,” Burkhardt said. ‘Believe me, you don’t want to see it. Aidan Hutchinson’s leg went very strange. It is clear that he is a major concern on the field. If you can read lips, it sounds like he’s saying he broke it. Just terrible.’
Brady felt equally terrible for fellow University of Michigan alum Hutchinson, who led the NFL in sacks (6.5) and pressures (25) entering Week 6.
“Heartbreaking to watch and see,” Brady said. ‘Everything seems to be going the way you want and then you see such a difficult injury with this player that determines what your defense is about. Pretty deflating for everyone. I can only imagine how the team feels.”
As Brady hinted and several fans noted, the 24-year-old Hutchinson was headed for a potential record-breaking contract extension in Detroit.
He is under contract through the 2025 season, when he will receive $5.5 million in salary and bonuses, but the club was expected to make a long-term bid for one of the NFL’s rising defensive ends.
“I feel sick for Aidan Hutchinson,” Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote on X. “A terrible injury in what looked like it would be a great season for him and the Lions. And this is Year 3 for him, which means he would probably sign one of the biggest contracts for a defensive player in NFL history next season.”
As Brady alluded to, and several fans noted, the 24-year-old Hutchinson was headed for a potential record-breaking contract extension in Detroit.
Hutchinson’s leg appeared to break when it collided with teammate Alim McNeill’s left leg
Players from both teams made a big circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft
Pat McAfee Show video producer Evan Fox put it more succinctly: “You just can’t replace Aidan Hutchinson.”
The loss of Hutchinson soured what should have been a joyous occasion after the Lions snapped their six-game losing streak in Dallas and improved to 4-1 on the year.
“You guys probably would have been better off if they had lost 47-9 and AH hadn’t lost this year,” one fan responded on Fox.
Head coach Dan Campbell was understandably emotional afterwards.
However, he was quick to praise his team’s resilience in finishing strong without their most fearsome teammate.
“That’s hard for anyone when you’re standing there and that’s one of you and something like that happens,” Campbell said. ‘If you think about it too much and start to play a little shy, you get hurt. So the guys came right back in and lived in the moment that we’re in.”
According to Campbell, Hutchinson then remained in Dallas for surgery.
