Lions name six captains, including first-timer Aidan Hutchinson

For the fourth straight season, Jared Goff and Alex Anzalone are two of the Lions' captains. For the second straight season, so are Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and special teams ace Jalen Reeves-Maybin. And for the first time, Aidan Hutchinson will wear a 'C' with them.

Those six players were announced on Monday as the Lions' captains this season, presumably via a vote by their peers. That's how Dan Campbell has done things in the past.

Hutchinson has always drawn praise for his work ethic, on top of his obvious talent. Entering year three in Detroit, the former No. 2 pick looks poised for a huge season , armed with what he calls a "different mentality" on the field.

"I know I’m the guy that people are going to rely on, I know I'm the guy that is going to face the most expectations and pressure, and I’ve really learned to embrace that," Hutchinson said at the start of camp. "That’s been the biggest difference in my mentality. When it’s the 4th quarter and someone’s gotta make a play and everyone’s looking at me, I say, 'Bring it on.'"

Goff and Anzalone have been leaders on their respective sides of the ball since arriving at the outset of the Campbell-Brad Holmes era in 2021. Both faced early criticism for their play, but their coaches and teammates always backed them -- and for good reason, as it turned out. Goff, in particular, has expanded his game to the point of being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two seasons.

"He’s been everything that we hoped he would be, and then some," Campbell said Monday. "At the least he brought a stable piece for us, a steady, reliable guy who behind center is going to do what we ask him to do. We take care of him, he’ll take care of the football. He’s going to move it, he’ll be efficient, he’ll be our captain. That’s at the least, and what we got was so much more.

"These last three years, he’s just continued to grow and gotten better and better. And honestly, I think he just wants more. He continues to challenge himself and the more he does that, the more we load him up, the more we ask him to do, the more we put on his plate, because he can handle it and he wants it. Where he’s able to go, our offense is able to go. So, we ask him to do a lot, and we’re going to ask him to do a little bit more than he did last year because he can handle it. He’s proven that."