Two injured Lions players will be returning with huge raises in 2026

Both Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch are getting big raises in 2026

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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The 2025 season is over, and it totally sucks for the Detroit Lions. It feels like the Lions aren’t that bad of a team; they just got hit with injuries in some really tough places again. You can really trace things back to two injuries. One on both sides of the ball. Brian Branch’s torn Achilles hurt this defense, and Sam LaPorta’s back injury hurt on offense.

Both of those guys are expected to be back in 2026. We don’t know when exactly in 2026, but when they do come back, they’re coming back to major raises. Here’s why:

Both Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch triggered level three proven performance escalators

If you don’t know what a PPE is, it’s “an NFL contract rule rewarding non-first-round draft picks with a salary increase in their fourth year if they meet specific playing time or performance milestones.” There are three levels of PPE’s that players can hit.

  • Level 1: To hit level one, a player must play 60% of the snaps in two of his first three seasons if he is a second-round pick. Both Branch and LaPorta are.
  • Level 2: To hit level two, a player must play at least 55% of snaps in each of his first three seasons.
  • Level 3: To hit level three, a player must make the Pro Bowl team on the original ballot (alternate does not count) in his first three seasons. Both LaPorta and Branch did that.

By doing that, the cost of their base salary goes up to the amount of a second-round RFA Tender plus the amount they were already making. A second round tender is projected to be $5,658,000. So both LaPorta and Branch’s base salaries will get that amount added to their deals.

For Branch, his original base salary was $1,743,872. His new base salary in 2026 is projected to be $7,401,872. For LaPorta, his base salary was $1,948,819. His new salary for 2026 is projected be $7,606,819. Those are some major raises for two very good players. It’s also the added cost for drafting so well.

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