The thing that could be holding up Sam LaPorta’s Lions extension — and what the fix could look like
LaPorta’s comments about his back and financial security may offer a clue to what’s separating the two sides. We built a contract that could give him the protection he wants without putting Detroit in an impossible spot.
The Detroit Lions had a week full of drama with tight end Sam LaPorta. He went on Pardon My Take and made some comments that did not feel good to hear if you’re a Lions fan. Honestly, it felt a little out of character for LaPorta, at least based on what we’ve seen from him over the past few years.
LaPorta is upset that his contract extension with the Lions still isn’t done, and he’s playing well. Last year, he mentioned that he broke his back for this team, and now he feels Detroit isn’t showing him enough love.
I get it. That back injury was a big deal. You go through something like that, come back, play at a high level, and the team essentially says it isn’t ready to pay you yet. That would make anyone upset.
What does Sam LaPorta actually want?
That’s the question nobody outside the building can answer for certain. We can speculate, though.
LaPorta’s back is what it is. If he’s going to go out there, work as hard as he does, and risk his body every week, he wants to know he’ll be taken care of if something happens again. That’s a scary thought for a player. What if he gets hurt again and can’t play anymore? He’d lose his ability to earn.
Flip it around, and the Lions have the same fear from the other side. What if they guarantee him a bunch of money and he gets hurt again? Both sides have a reason to be frustrated.
A mock contract for LaPorta
So for the sake of speculation, I mocked up the contract I think LaPorta wants. After going through the numbers, here’s where I landed:
Four years, $80 million, $46 million in total guarantees, $38 million fully guaranteed.
This deal does two things.
First, it makes LaPorta the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. He’d be the first tight end to clear the $20 million average annual value mark. George Kittle couldn’t do it. Trey McBride and Tucker Kraft haven’t done it either. Kittle sits closest at $19.1 million.
Second, it gives LaPorta the most fully guaranteed money of any tight end in the league. Kyle Pitts currently holds that title at $36 million. This deal would give LaPorta $38 million.
| Year | Base Salary | New Cash | Cap Hit | Guarantees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Existing rookie deal | $27M bonus | +$5.4M | $27M fully |
| 2027 | $3M | $3M | $8.4M | Fully guaranteed |
| 2028 | $8M | $8M | $13.4M | Fully guaranteed |
| 2029 | $19M | $19M | $24.4M | $8M injury guaranteed |
| 2030 | $23M | $23M | $28.4M | None |
| Total | $53M | $80M | $80M added | $46M total |
Projected extension only. The 2026 cap figure is an addition to LaPorta’s existing rookie-contract cap hit. New cash excludes existing rookie-contract compensation. Signing bonus: $27M, prorated at $5.4M per season from 2026–2030. Total guarantees include $38M fully guaranteed and $8M injury guaranteed.
How does it work on the cap? The good thing is that guaranteeing a lot of money up front can also keep the early cap hits lower. LaPorta still carries his rookie contract in 2026, and the $27 million signing bonus would add $5.4 million to his cap hit that year. The bonus is paid up front in cash but prorated over five years for cap purposes. That creates an $8.4 million cap hit in 2027 and a $13.4 million cap hit in 2028. The numbers climb in 2029 and 2030, and that’s when Detroit could think about a restructure or another extension.
The deal also includes an $8 million injury guarantee. That’s the protection piece LaPorta is looking for. He gets the $20 million AAV, the record guarantees, and a safety net if his body fails him again. If I were LaPorta, I’d sign this all day.
Why the Lions should do it anyway
I understand why the Lions would hesitate. Forty-six million dollars in total guarantees is a lot of money. A $20 million AAV is a ton, and fans are going to expect him to be a Pro Bowl or All-Pro player every year.
LaPorta is a top-5 tight end in this league, and that’s not easy to replace. Don’t fool yourself into thinking Detroit can just go find another Sam LaPorta. It can’t. He’s a huge part of what the Lions want to do on offense, and losing him after this season would hurt.
Some fans want to trade him at the deadline. That means you’d have LaPorta for what, two more games? Then you send him away in a year where you’re 3-2 and still think you can win it all? Unless Detroit loses its next two games and things get worse in the locker room, I don’t see any situation where the Lions even consider trading him.
I know the back is the worry. But watching him play right now, it doesn’t look like it’s hampering him at all. Maybe that history is part of why the guarantees matter so much to him. As someone who has had back surgery and broken bones in his back, I understand that feeling. I’m about 10 years removed from my surgery, and I still worry anytime I feel something back there.
So yes, it’s a lot of money and it’s a risk. But at some point, you have to keep the best players you can, and LaPorta isn’t easily replaceable. If I were the Lions, I’d do this deal.
To be clear, this is speculation. No source told me any of this. It’s an educated guess. We’ll see what happens.
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