DETROIT — The Detroit Lions and superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson haven't had "any intense talks yet" regarding a contract extension, Brad Holmes said Wednesday morning, but the fifth-year general manager hopes to get those discussions rolling in the near future.

"We'll definitely get some dialogue going soon," Holmes said on the Costa and Jansen with Heather Show on 97.1. "All those things take time, especially the larger the deal is."

Holmes also praised Hutchinson for rebounding well from the broken leg he suffered last October. Hutchinson, fully cleared for training camp, has been standing out in Allen Park, making life difficult for Detroit's offensive tackles. He had multiple sacks in a scrimmage July 29.

"As the player, he's looked great," Holmes said. "I've been saying I'm really not all that surprised, just because of tracking him since college — his early days at Michigan. He had that big injury at Michigan, and he came back, I think nobody would argue, a better player. I don't want to say it's exactly the same because the games haven't kicked off yet, but what he's shown in the practice — the change of direction, the explosiveness — he's not having any (negative) affects."

Hutchinson suffered a similar injury as a junior at Michigan in 2021, appearing in only three games that season. He came back the following year and collected 62 total tackles (17 for loss) and 14 sacks, launching him up draft boards.

Still in touch with Za'Darius Smith

Holmes was also asked for an update on Za'Darius Smith, who the Lions acquired in a trade midseason in 2024 but released earlier this offseason to save cap space. Smith was strong in his eight games with the Lions, posting four sacks and 36 pressures from Weeks 11-18.

"Yeah, look, Za'Darius did a lot of good things last year for us, and we said we were going to keep in contact with his agent," Holmes said. "Everything's not just one-sided. Za'Darius has expectations, the team has expectations. Sometimes it takes a while for those things to get on the same page, especially a guy that's been in the league as long as he has. You know, I'm sure that — I'm not saying that he doesn't want to be in training camp, but if he misses some time (it's not the worst thing).

"There's, obviously, still interest there. We've been keeping in touch."

Addressing Anzalone

Veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone, in the last year of his current contract, hoped to get an extension this offseason. That's yet to happen, but the Lions and Anzalone did recently come to a resolution, according to a report from ESPN on July 31 that indicated the team added $250,000 to Anzalone's base salary in 2025 ($6 million), while also guaranteeing it.

Anzalone reported to training camp last month but did not immediately participate in practice while dealing with what he and the team called a hamstring injury. Anzalone returned to practice July 27, but he said his presence did not signal an extension being done.

"It's normal football business. It's just the business aspect of it," Holmes said Wednesday. "We value Anzalone highly, all the things that he's done for us. He's been a four-time captain for us and all that. He's still a good player, he played well last year. He's getting a little longer in the tooth. But as far as what we're seeing right now, he's still performing well. But was happy that we were able to come to some type of resolution for the immediate right now. I'm sure that Anzalone would tell you he's glad that it's behind him for the immediate, for right now, so he can just go out there, concentrate and play football. And he's looked good out here."

Added Anzalone: "I mean, I'm glad it's done with."

Anzalone, 30, recorded 63 tackles (seven for loss), five pass deflections and a sack over 10 games last season while being asked to play more man coverage than any other linebacker in the NFL. He's one of the players who've been in Detroit since 2021, joining the team shortly after Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell were hired.

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