In case it wasn't clear yet, Sam LaPorta is not pleased with the state of his contract talks with the Lions.
And the star tight end is more than happy to sign elsewhere if he doesn't think the team will pay him what he's worth.
Brad Holmes and the Lions have maintained that they intend to extend LaPorta before he hits free agency next spring, along with fellow 2023 second-round pick Brian Branch. But amid a career year and a stalemate in negotiations, LaPorta voiced his frustrations with the organization in an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast that was released Wednesday.
"The combination of getting your heartstrings twisted as well as the violent sport that we play, it sucks," he said. "And it’s disappointing that you go out there every week and you bear the risk of getting hurt, like last year, I break my f**king back for the team, and then I’m going out there this year and I’m ballin' and maybe they’re just not showing the love.
"So, it sucks. I’m going to continue to be a pro. I dish a lot of that to my agent and he handles that great. He handles George (Kittle) as well as a lot of other guys. I’m going to continue to go do my thing and ball out, and in three months if I don’t get to wear the Honolulu blue and play for the Lions anymore, it’s going to be all good. I’ll go get paid somewhere else. So, whatever."
Why Detroit may prioritize Brian Branch over LaPorta https://t.co/DCt8tE4T2D
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) October 21, 2026
LaPorta missed the final eight games of last season with a back injury that required surgery in November. The thought was that the Lions would lock him up once he proved himself healthy and back to form. He's on pace for 90-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards, which would be career-highs, and looks like a more a complete tight end than ever.
But the Lions haven't met LaPorta's demands on a new deal.
"I don't know if it's truly off the table, but I think there's certainly a stalemate right now," LaPorta said earlier this month. "I'm really giving the reins to my agent. He's been handling it with the front office. All the advice he's given me so far is that we just haven't come to terms yet."
The Lions have extended all of their homegrown stars, with LaPorta and Branch seemingly next in line. Just this offseason, they locked up fellow 2023 draft picks Jack Campbell for $21 million per year and running back Jahmyr Gibbs for $22.5 million per year. But the cap space is going to get tight.
If talks break down completely, the Lions have the option of placing the franchise tag on LaPorta in 2027, projected at about $17.5 million. At this rate, that might be the most likely outcome.
The highest-paid tight end in the NFL is Kittle at $19.1 million per year, followed by Trey McBride at $19 million. But they both signed their deals two offseason ago. The NFL's salary cap has grown considerably since, and isn't slowing down. LaPorta and his camp could be seeking $20 million per year, and would likely get it on the open market.
Tucker Kraft of the Packers, drafted in the third round the same year LaPorta was taken in the second, signed a four-year, $75 million extension with Green Bay at the start of this season that makes him the third highest-paid tight end in the league at $18.75 million per year.
In one fewer game than Kraft, LaPorta has 75 more catches, 620 more yards and seven more touchdowns. He just caught five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' win over the Cardinals, the latest expression of his value to Detroit's offense. It was abundantly clear how much the Lions missed him when he was sidelined last year down the stretch.
"He looks good, he’s healthy," Dan Campbell said this week on Lions Review. "That was his best game he played the other day, in totality. He’s done a nice job. I feel like he’s gotten better every week. There again, he can run block, he can do it on the line, he can do it out of the backfield with motions, and then he can win his 1-on-1s, man. Put him wherever you want, he’s going to find a way to win, make a tough catch, and he can pass protect, too. So he does a lot and I would agree, he looks good right now."
But LaPorta's future with the Lions now looks murky.
