Voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl opened on Monday, but these two Detroit Lions stars won’t be eligible. Here’s why.
On Monday, the NFL opened Pro Bowl voting for fans across the world. Fans account for 33% of the Pro Bowl voting, with coaches and players accounting for the other two-thirds of the vote.
Obviously, there’s a high expectation for Detroit Lions players to garner a ton of the Pro Bowl votes this year given they’re largely considered the best team in football. However, there are two notable absences from Pro Bowl ballots this year: Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams.
Hutchinson’s omission is pretty easy to understand. If you’re a player on injured reserve who has not played at least six games, you are not eligible to make the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately for Hutchinson, he only played in five games. It’s tough luck for Hutchinson, who had the league lead in sacks at 7.5 before breaking his leg in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys. Heading into Week 12, Hutchinson still ranked 10th in PFF pressures (45) despite missing half of the team’s games.
Williams is ineligible for fan vote because of his two-game suspension earlier this season. Players suspended specifically for Performance Enhancing Substances cannot make the Pro Bowl.
Williams is in the midst of his best career season. While not up there with the elite receivers in the game, he does rank 27th in receiving yards (602), t-23rd in touchdowns (four), and second in yards per catch (20.8).
It’s an unfortunate break for both players, as they have been key to the Lions’ hot start. But given the way they are playing right now, this is far from their last opportunity to pick up some postseason hardware. Plus, I think both are more focused on winning a ring than a trip to Orlando.
Still, you can cast your Pro Bowl vote for all of the other deserving Lions players here.
