The Detroit Lions’ contract standoff with Sam LaPorta keeps getting louder, and the timing could hardly be worse with a pivotal Week 7 matchup against the Green Bay Packers on deck.
What started as a pause in negotiations before the Lions faced the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 has now turned into something more uneasy. LaPorta also made his frustration public earlier this week during an interview on the Barstool Sports’ 'Pardon My Take' podcast, and The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones added another layer to the picture - along with a warning for Detroit if this drags on.
"Things don’t appear to be great between the Detroit Lions and tight end Sam LaPorta, but it is more likely than not that the two sides eventually reach an agreement on an extension before free agency," Jones wrote.
Jones pointed to the Lions’ track record under general manager Brad Holmes, noting that Detroit has tried to hold onto the players it drafted. LaPorta, a second-round pick in 2023, fits that pattern after producing at a high level since arriving in Detroit.
This is also not a team that has shied away from in-season deals. The Lions reached agreements with defensive lineman Alim McNeill during the 2024 season and star EDGE Aidan Hutchinson last year.
Still, waiting can get expensive in a hurry.
Jones laid out why the cost could keep climbing, with the franchise tag sitting there as a possible backup plan - but not an especially affordable one. OverTheCap projects the tight end franchise tag at about $17.5 million.
And there’s another name looming over all of this: Brock Bowers.
The Las Vegas Raiders tight end is extension eligible after this season, and he’s already in position to reshape the market. Bowers broke the rookie reception record for tight ends one year after LaPorta set it, and Jones reported via a league source that Bowers could get the kind of money that raises the bar even higher.
"George Kittle sits at the top of the market at $19.1 million per year," Jones wrote. "A league source estimated Bowers could get into the mid-20s, in large part because the Raiders paid a center $27 million per year who a) had never played a down for the team and b) never made an All-Pro team. With Bowers eligible for his extension in a few months, waiting would not behoove the Lions."
That squeeze is only intensified by the broader tight end market that has already moved. Kyle Pitts got three years and $54 million.
Tucker Kraft landed four years and $75 million. Michael Mayer signed for three years and $45 million.
Those contracts have helped define the range for what LaPorta could be in line to receive, but Detroit may now have to go beyond all of them if it wants to close the deal.
The cap picture adds another wrinkle. OverTheCap lists the Lions with a little more than $36 million in effective cap space for the 2027 season, and LaPorta is not the only 2023 draft pick the team may need to pay. Detroit is also expected to look into an extension for safety Brian Branch.
Branch missed the first five games of the season, but he is expected to make his season debut Sunday after rehabbing a torn Achilles, barring anything unforseen.
In Other News...
Lions Get A Huge Week 7 Boost As LaPorta Drama Builds
A key piece of Detroits Week 7 preparation is starting to fall into place with reinforcements on the way as the Lions get ready for their first divisional game of the season against the Green Bay Packers. Brian Branch and Cade Mays are both expected to return without snap restrictions, giving Detroit a timely boost as the schedule turns to the NFC North and the margin for error gets thinner.
The bigger conversation, though, has lingered around Sam LaPorta after he aired frustration with his contract situation during a podcast. He later tried to smooth things over in a media scrum, making it clear he wants to be in Detroit and felt his comments had been taken the wrong way, but the episode added a little extra noise to a week the Lions would probably prefer to keep centered on football. [Read more 🡒]
Jared Goff Is Setting The NFC North Standard Right Now
Jared Goff has spent the first six weeks of the season doing exactly what the Lions want from their quarterback: keep the offense on schedule, protect the football and give Detroit a chance to win every Sunday. In a division filled with young talent and big-armed volatility, that steadiness has stood out enough to put him at the top of the NFC North quarterback conversation heading into Week 7.
The case for Goff is built on consistency more than flash, with his passing production and quarterback rating helping him separate from Caleb Williams, Jordan Love and Kyler Murray in the current rankings. The part that may matter most to Detroit, though, is how well he has paired efficiency with ball security, a combination that has become central to the Lions' offensive identity and a big reason he keeps setting the pace in the division. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Are Suddenly Tied To A Trade Deadline Gamble Worth Watching
As the trade deadline approaches, Detroit has surfaced in an intriguing idea involving the Chargers and a pair of veteran defenders who could be available if Los Angeles decides to start thinking more about the future. ESPNs Bill Barnwell floated a scenario that would send Khalil Mack and Donte Jackson to the Lions in exchange for 2027 draft picks, a move that would fit the kind of opportunistic approach contending teams often take when a veteran upgrade becomes available.
For Detroit, the appeal is obvious if the price is manageable: adding proven pass-rush help and secondary depth without giving up current-day assets. The wrinkle is how far the Chargers would be willing to go to make the deal happen, including whether they would take on part of the remaining salary to improve the return, which is the kind of detail that can decide whether these deadline ideas stay in the rumor column or become something much more real. [Read more 🡒]