Why the Lions may structure Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta’s deals differently than fans expect
Detroit Lions have two huge contract decisions looming. Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta are extension candidates, but the structure of their deals may tell you as much as the dollar figures.
Mandatory minicamp and all other spring activities are in the books for the Detroit Lions. They’ve got about six weeks until training camp starts, and they have a few things they still need to get done.
We’re talking the extensions for Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, and Sam LaPorta. We’ve talked extensively about the Gibbs one, but let’s dig a little more into the Branch and LaPorta extensions because both of those have some strings attached that could affect the deals they get.
Brian Branch
The reports all suggest that the Lions feel pretty good about where Branch is in his rehab, to the point where he could realistically be back during training camp and play in Week 1. There are also multiple reports that the Lions would like to get the extension done now and not wait.
So what does the deal look like? Branch is going to be one of the highest-paid safeties in the league, but he’s not likely to reset the market or anything like that. But he should definitely find himself in the top 5-7 safeties. Here’s our projection:
Branch should get a four-year deal worth $80 million with $55 million of that guaranteed.
| Year | Base Salary | Cap Hit | Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | $1.26M | $6.20M | $55.00M |
| 2028 | $2.50M | $10.80M | $42.00M |
| 2029 | $12.00M | $18.50M | $16.00M |
| 2030 | $20.24M | $24.50M | $8.00M |
| 2031 (Void) | — | $4.00M | — |
| 2032 (Void) | — | $4.00M | — |
This deal would make Branch the fifth-highest-paid safety in the NFL. It’s a little bit less than Detroit gave Joseph. But if they structure it like this, which is very similar to what they did with Jack Campbell, they can protect themselves with this deal and have an out as early as 2028 if things don’t work out. They also put themselves in a good restructuring position after 2028 if they want to move things around to lower the water cap hits.
Sam LaPorta
The Lions are in a similar position with LaPorta, but there’s maybe a little more certainty about him being ready for training camp and Week 1 of the season. He’s at least been participating in some of the walkthroughs at OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
LaPorta should fully be expected to get a very big deal, but there are going to be some concerns about his back, and that may figure into the deal. It at least does in our projection.
Laporta gets a four-year deal worth $80 million with $52 million guaranteed.
| Year | Base Salary | Cap Hit | Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | $1.50M | $6.50M | $52.00M |
| 2029 | $2.50M | $7.50M | $45.50M |
| 2030 | $3.00M | $13.00M | $38.00M |
| 2031 | $23.00M | $33.00M | $20.00M |
| 2032 void | — | $10.00M | $10.00M |
| 2033 void | — | — | — |
It’s structured very similarly to Branch’s deal and how the Lions do pretty much all of this extension. Low cap hits and high dead money up front. It gives the Lions a shot to restructure down the road in 2030. The only issue is there isn’t as easy of an out as you would find in Branch’s deal. But that’s usually the price you pay for high-priced skill players.
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