It was Week 6, and the Lions were facing off against the Cowboys. They won with a spectacular 47-9 but lost a key player to injury. In the third quarter of the game, a young player was lying on the field in pain after hurting his knee. “All I remember thinking is…I’m not going to be able to play in the Super Bowl,” the Lions star Aidan Hutchinson recalled.

After that injury, Aidan had to sit out the entire season. That broke many hearts. The Lions‘ defensive star broke his tibia and fibula when his teammate Alim McNeill hit his leg while Aidan was going for a sack on Dak Prescott. Everyone was hoping it wasn’t too bad, but turns out, it was. When news broke that Aidan Hutchinson would miss the whole season due to his injury, fans were heartbroken. The support flooded in, with everyone showing love for the young player. Even hip-hop legend Eminem showed his support by rocking an Aidan jersey at one of his shows. 

Aidan had to undergo surgery to fix his tibia and fibula. As per reports, his Tibia was fixed with an intramedullary nail. But the good news was that the 24-year-old was expected to make a full recovery. Optimistic about his defensive stars return, coach Dan Campbell said, “I would never count Hutch out, ever. So yeah, probably a long road. But I would never count him out, and I would say if anybody can make it back, it’s him.” 

Then, out of the blue, during the last week of December, rumors started swirling that the Lions DE might make a comeback in the postseason. That got everyone excited. Now that the divisional round is here, are we going to see Aidan gracing the gridiron once again? Well, his Michigan friend has dropped an update that might just have the answers.

Commanders’ cornerback Mike Sainristil made an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show this Tuesday. When asked about his excitement for returning to Michigan ahead of the divisional round, Mike couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. He spoke about how excited he was to be back in the city. He also took a moment to talk about his college buddy, Aidan Hutchinson. “I  love the state of Michigan, it’s where I was for the past five years. And the state of Michigan was good to me so you know I’m super excited to see my boy Aidan Hutchinson.”

Aidan and Sainristil’s friendship goes way back to 2019 when the Commanders’ CB made waves during spring practice with the Wolverines. And Hutchinson showed his A game in his sophomore year.  The duo then went on to play together for three years until Aidan graduated in 2021. The host, knowing this well, asked the Michigan alum about Aidan’s health update. “He’s doing great spirits are real high. You know because of what he was going through with the injury. But just seeing him stay positive, and being there to support him as a brother is good,” said Mike. 

And folks, Aidan might make a comeback. But not in the divisional round. In an ideal situation, you could see Aidan back on the gridiron if the Lions make it to the Super Bowl. The DE still has not hit the field for practice, so the question of playing against the Commanders is out of the question. But he will be there, probably for his team and to see his friend Mike. Although he will not be cheering for him this time. The Lions and Commanders are set to clash at Ford Field, the Lions’ home turf on Saturday night. 

Imagine what a rivalry game it would have been if Aidan were playing too. Two college friends facing off against each other in America’s biggest league, both fighting for that one title that six other teams are also gunning for. But sadly, that’s not the case. If Aidan makes a comeback in the Super Bowl, only time will tell. And of course, the Lions still have to make their way to the big game. And Sainristil is surely one player whom they would like to keep an eye on.

Lions’ OC is impressed with Aidan Hutchinson’s former teammate

Detroit is familiar with Sainristil. He had visited the team during the pre-draft process. Though he was later selected in the second round by the Commanders, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson remembers the Michigan alum leaving a strong impression. One notable thing that Johnson recalled was all the Michigan players who visited the team, had stated that if they had to choose one teammate to bring with them it would be Sainristil.

“Every single one of those players said that they would bring him along,” Johnson said. “Every single player said that he was the one player from Michigan that they would bring along. To me, that spoke volumes because it’s rare that you you see all these same guys from the same school, and they say the same person. It’s normally the cliques you hang out with.”

Sainristil has also made a big impact on the field as a rookie. He has two interceptions, along with 93 total tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. “I see a guy on tape that fits their defense in a nutshell, same thing we’ve been talking about,” Johnson said. “They’re flying around reckless, almost borderline reckless, but calculated, and he fits that mold for them perfectly. He’s always around the ball, not afraid to tackle. Been really impressive for the year.” Fellow rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold is also a big fan of Sainristil’s game.

“Me and Mikey, I give credit to where credit is due,” Arnold said of the Washington defensive back. “I think Mikey, he’s a very talented player, for this to be his first year. He’s made plays. He’s going to continue to just keep evolving. So, yeah, Mikey’s a good player.” It would be interesting to find out how much problem Sainristil creates for his former teammate’s squad.