Aidan Hutchinson has played 92% of the Detroit Lions ' defensive snaps through seven games, and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he has no plans to scale back Hutchinson's workload now that he's signed a four-year, $180 million extension.

"We just gave him half the building so he needs to play 95%," Sheppard joked.

Hutchinson has been a high-volume contributor to the Lions defense since he entered the NFL as the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft. He played 84% of the Lions' defensive snaps as a rookie, 91% of the team's defensive plays in 2023 and was at 90% playtime before a broken leg ended his season last year.

While other top defensive ends like Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons play around 75% of their team's defensive snaps, Sheppard said Hutchinson is able to shoulder a big

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