Lions Leave LaPorta Without an Extension as Deal Nears End

Sam LaPorta says he’s disappointed: the Detroit Lions tight end is entering the final year of his four-year rookie deal without an extension, and negotiations don’t appear to be progressing. He’s still expected to take the field and bear the risk of a violent sport while the club and his agent handle the money talks.

“I think the combination of like getting your heartstrings twisted as well as the violent sport that we play, it sucks and it's disappointing that you go out there every week and you bear the risk of getting hurt,” LaPorta said on “Pardon My Take,” a Barstool Sports podcast.

The Risk Is LaPorta’s

LaPorta described the mismatch plainly: he plays, absorbs the physical risk, and leaves negotiations to his representative. “I break my (expletive) back for the team,” he said, referring to the back injury that limited him to nine games in 2025. He added that he’s “going out there this year and I'm balling and maybe they're just not showing the love.”

The 25-year-old tight end has 27 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns through five games this season. According to the report, he has bounced back after the injury. The numbers show the work he’s putting on the field. They haven’t produced an extension so far.

LaPorta’s career totals stand at 213 receptions for 2,420 yards and 23 touchdowns in 47 NFL games. As a rookie, he recorded 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns and earned second-team All-Pro honors. Detroit selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Negotiations Behind the Curtain

LaPorta said he’ll continue to play professionally while his agent handles the negotiations. “I dish a lot of that to my agent and he handles that great,” he said, naming Jack Bechta, who has also represented George Kittle and other players.

That division of labor is part of the story: LaPorta’s job is to perform, while the contract discussion runs through an agent and a team that hasn’t extended him. The report, published Oct. 22, 2026, said talks didn’t appear to be progressing. He hadn’t received an extension.

LaPorta’s record also includes his time at Iowa, where he had 153 receptions for 1,786 yards and five touchdowns in 46 games. Those totals, like his NFL production, measure the work behind his position in the negotiations. But the article reports no agreement and no clear sign that one is coming.

A Future the Team Doesn’t Control

LaPorta said he’ll keep playing for Detroit while he can, but he also made clear that his future isn’t bound to the club. “I'm going to continue to go do my thing and ball out,” he said. The report says he could attract substantial interest from other NFL franchises if he reaches free agency, leaving his future in Detroit uncertain.

The report describes no community organizing or mutual-aid effort, and offers no legislative fix. What it shows is a player publicly weighing his performance and physical risk against stalled contract talks, with his representative managing the negotiations. LaPorta’s own words carry the final point: “it's going to be all good. I'll go get paid somewhere else.”