The Detroit Lions are 4-2 and heading into the most important game of the season so far against a 6-0 Minnesota Vikings team. Lions fans have a lot of questions about Sam LaPorta’s contract, Kerby Joseph’s return, and the rookies. Let’s answer as many as we can.

Is Sam LaPorta going to be another T.J. Hockenson situation?

Is LaPorta another TJ Hockenson contract situation? Brad doesn't like to pay top $ for TE

— 🦾🪨All Grit🪨🦾 (@fan313.bsky.social) October 28, 2026 at 9:14 AM

I’ve heard this one a lot, and here’s the thing. The Lions are in a completely different place now than they were in 2022.

When Detroit traded Hockenson, paying him one of the highest tight end salaries in the league would have stunted the growth of this team. The Lions were still digging out of what Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia left behind. Trey Flowers’ contract was awful, and they had a lot of guys on the books. They were deep in the red.

Trading Hockenson freed up money for other priorities. That’s how the Lions were able to pay Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Keep Hockenson on that contract, and life gets a lot harder.

Now the Lions are in good financial standing. I don’t think money is what’s holding up a LaPorta deal. I think it’s the guarantees. LaPorta broke his back last year and had surgery. That scares people, and it makes a player want to make sure he’s taken care of. On the other side, the Lions feel good about his back now, but how will they feel two years from now?

They need to find common ground. Lions general manager Brad Holmes absolutely wants to keep LaPorta. This is nothing like the Hockenson situation.

Will Cade Mays be an upgrade over Graham Glasgow?

Yes, absolutely. Glasgow just wasn’t suited to play center full-time, and he struggled in the first matchup with Minnesota last season.

Then there was the Christmas game, which a lot of fans are still scared of. That offensive line featured Dan Skipper at left tackle, an injured Christian Mahogany at left guard, Kingsley Eguakun at center, a rookie Tate Ratledge, and an injured Sewell who didn’t play the following week. The tight ends were Giovanni Ricci, Anthony Firkser, and Shane Zylstra. Nobody could block. It was a freak show.

As for Mays, his first game back wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. He allowed two pressures and a sack. Juice Scruggs had been playing well, so some fans wondered why he came out. I think a lot of it is rust. Mays practiced for two or three weeks, got hurt, missed months of reps, and then played after a few days of practice. That’s not enough.

The Vikings are going to bring the house. If Mays can’t hold up, Scruggs can go back in. My bet is Mays figures it out.

Is Kerby Joseph’s return about the trade deadline?

No. No team is going to trade for a guy when nobody knows if he can play.

Lions coach Dan Campbell explained last week that the team has done the rehab work, and at some point it just has to be football. Joseph will start with individual work and then move into team drills. He’s on a 21-day clock, and I would be shocked if Detroit doesn’t use most of it.

Keep in mind this is just my expectation. I’m not reporting anything. I don’t expect Joseph to play against Minnesota or against Miami the following week, and my guess is that the Lions activate him around Nov. 14 so he can play against the Patriots in Germany on Nov. 15 in Week 10.

Be excited, but temper those expectations. If 21 days pass and he isn’t activated, he goes back to the reserve/PUP list, and his season is over. The Lions feel good enough to take that risk, and I truly believe they think he’s as ready as he can be.

Does James Conner make sense?

Not at this point. Conner is still working his way back from the right foot and ankle injury he suffered last season, and Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said this week he could potentially return this season. He’s hurt. The Lions aren’t trading for him.

Is Jimmy Rolder not good?

Fans do this every year, and I know you want to see the rookies play. But the Lions bring rookies along slowly on purpose. They did it with Jahmyr Gibbs and St. Brown. Tyleik Williams barely played down the stretch last year once Alim McNeill came back, and now he’s one of the best nose tackles in the league. McNeill himself barely played as a rookie.

There are exceptions, such as Aidan Hutchinson, LaPorta, Sewell, and Blake Miller. Otherwise, Detroit takes its time. That’s why we haven’t seen much of Rolder or Derrick Moore. Rolder also missed almost all of training camp, so the Lions basically restarted his progression. I expect to see both rookies a lot more in November and December.

Which players have surprised the most?

On the good side, it’s Mahogany. I thought Ben Bartch or Scruggs might beat him out for the left guard job. Instead, he’s one of the highest-graded guards in the NFL and playing at a Pro Bowl level. If he played any other position, everyone would notice. There’s no way the Lions are considering replacing him now.

On the bad side, it’s Jack Campbell. I know that will upset some fans. He was an All-Pro last season, and I’m not saying he’s bad. He has taken a step back, partly because some of what Detroit did defensively early on was wrong. The defense has been better over the last two weeks, and so has Campbell.

He’s going to be fine. Let’s see how he looks against Minnesota.

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