Aidan Hutchinson runs onto an NFL field
Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Detroit Lions runs onto the field prior to the game against the New York Jets at Ford Field on September 27, 2026 in Detroit. | Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
When quarterback Cam Newton started showing up to Carolina Panthers games dressed to the nines well over a decade ago, it was a revelation. That pink suit with the green fedora for a post-game press conference is etched in the minds of many.
Little did we know he was setting a trend with today’s NFL players taking it to another level.
Enter Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson.
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He and the Lions played against the Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday Night Football. The Panthers got a win, 32-26. At 2-2 they are atop the NFC South. At 2-2, the Lions are third in the NFC North.
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Go figure.
Enter Aidan Hutchinson
Yet one of the talk subjects on Monday is Aidan Hutchinson. Yes, he had a good game getting pressure on the quarterback twice, along with two tackles. Those are solid game numbers for a defensive end.
And still, again, it’s what Hutchinson wore for his game arrival that has a lot of people talking.
Newton’s pink suit with the green fedora was quite the statement. Showing up to a game in a high-fashion sweater vest carrying a gallon of water? Literally groundbreaking.
We found the maker of the sweater: HighSnobiety. That’s a choice.
It’s amazing to see Hutchinson choose to enter an NFL stadium for a game wearing this. He was the second pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was second in the Heisman Trophy voting and is a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
The guy is good.
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And he’s totally comfortable showing off his biceps in a fashionable sweater vest from a company that literally has “snob” in it’s name — in blue-collar Detroit.
And it’s not just Hutchinson. Now teams are celebrating the high-fashion looks some guys don to arrive at their NFL games. The Seahawks do, seemingly sponsored by… Starbucks?
Even ESPN is here for it.
There was a time when guys had this vision of being a “straight NFL player” that involved baggy clothes that looked like they were grabbed of the sale rack at TJ Max. Only the gays wore clothes like we’re seeing on the NFL players today.
And we’re seeing them on the NFL players today.
To be sure, dressing in high fashion isn’t “gay.” It’s just good taste. Yet in America, straight guys have been told for years they have to dress like schlubs to be “masc.”
Thankfully, that’s fading.
We’ll be watching Aidan Hutchinson and the rest of the NFL players to see what they come up with next, and what fashion designers they choose to showcase in their NFL game arrivals.
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