DETROIT, Mich. — Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is no longer keeping his contract frustration private, saying this week that he feels the team is not showing him the love he has earned and that he would be at peace playing somewhere else next year.
LaPorta is in the last season of his rookie deal and can become a free agent in 2027. Extension talks broke off in early October, and at the time he called the two sides stuck but struck a calm tone and said he felt respected in the building.
In a podcast interview, he was blunter. LaPorta pointed to the season-ending back injury he suffered in 2025 and the weekly risk of getting hurt, and said that if he does not wear Honolulu blue in three months, he would collect a paycheck from another team.
Coach Dan Campbell has publicly praised the tight end, saying earlier this month that he and the organization love LaPorta and that his work ethic and production speak for themselves. General manager Brad Holmes has also said the club wants him long term.
Through this season he has caught 27 passes for 316 yards and scored three times. As a 2023 rookie he made the Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors. Detroit turns its attention to the Green Bay Packers next.
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