Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson likes the new, more serious version of Dan Campbell.
The team’s star edge rusher opened up about the new demeanor Campbell has adopted after the team’s disappointing ending to the 2025 season. Hutchinson revealed that Campbell has adopted a more serious demeanor, fitting for the higher stakes the team is expected to face this season.
Aidan Hutchinson Likes Dan Campbell’s New Approach
Hutchinson said he understands why Campbell came back for the 2026 season with more urgency — and more intensity. The Lions fell short of the playoffs last season, falling to the rival Minnesota Vikings in a must-win game on Christmas Day that could have allowed them to sneak back into the playoffs.
Campbell is taking this year seriously, and Hutchinson endorsed his approach.
“Yeah, I’m all about it,” Hutchinson said, via SI.com. “It’s normal. When you have the team that we have last year, didn’t make the playoffs, some stuff has got to change. Players make a change, and as coaches, I guess that is what he thought had to change. We all have faith in that, we trust it, it was a tough camp, very physical camp.
“Just because we didn’t have joint practices doesn’t mean we didn’t work. We got even more work than we ever have. I thought it was very beneficial. That’s the name of the game. If it doesn’t work, you got to change something up.”
Aidan Hutchinson Ready to Take the Next Step
The Lions have gotten excruciatingly close to a Super Bowl during the recent stretch of success, blowing a 17-point lead in the NFC Championship game two seasons ago, but have faced questions about whether their Super Bowl window could be coming to a close.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff is still at the top of his game, but he is getting older and the team is facing some critical decisions on player extensions over the coming years. Some analysts believe their Super Bowl window is coming to a close — or already closed — but Hutchinson said he has full faith in the team.
Hutchinson said his faith comes from the team’s coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
“We’ve got all the right leadership in place,” Hutchinson said. “From a defensive perspective, we’ve also got a ton of faith in Shep this year. He’s coming off his first year as a coordinator and I think he’s really evolved at a high level. We have a lot of faith in him. We just got to go out there this season and execute. I think he’s going to put us all in a great position, so just go make a play.”
Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson Makes Waves With Comment on Dan Campbell