Brad Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt in Detroit. Four straight winning seasons, two NFC North titles in a 27-7 run across 2023 and 2024, and a roster that still looks built to rebound in 2026 after missing the playoffs in 2025 - that’s the kind of track record that puts a GM in rare air.
But even a front office that sharp runs into the same wall everyone else does: the salary cap.
That’s the backdrop for a bold 2026 prediction from ESPN’s Ben Solak, who floated the idea of the Lions trading tight end Sam LaPorta to the Panthers. Solak’s case is built around value and volume.
LaPorta, he wrote, is “still quite explosive for a tight end and a safety valve for Goff, who gets frustrated with Williams' erraticism at times.” But in Detroit’s pecking order, Solak sees LaPorta as the clear fourth option behind Amon-Ra St.
Brown, Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs.
That matters because those top pieces are expensive, and more money could be coming due soon. Solak pointed out that once Gibbs signs an extension, all three of those players will be on big contracts.
His question was simple: do the Lions want their fourth option making more than $15 million per year, especially when LaPorta “isn't an impactful blocker, often hidden from that role by St. Brown and Isaac TeSlaa?”
From there, Solak worked through possible trade destinations and landed on Carolina. He noted that the Panthers have a deep tight end room but no true difference-making pass catcher at the position.
He also pointed to Dave Canales’ preference for getting tight ends YAC chances near the line of scrimmage, which fits LaPorta’s game. And with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker serving as big-bodied blockers at receiver, LaPorta could be “hidden in the running game.”
The larger point is less about Carolina and more about the math in Detroit. The Lions are in decent shape financially now, and Over The Cap lists them at about $18.5 million in cap space at the moment, with a projection of just over $47.5 million in 2027.
That sounds comfortable, and in some ways it is. But the league doesn’t let teams pay everybody, no matter how well the drafts keep hitting.
Detroit’s recent success also makes the roster-building puzzle even trickier. The team has been able to stockpile talent, but future extensions for players such as Gibbs and Brian Branch could force hard choices. Solak’s point is that LaPorta, as productive as he is, may be the odd man out if Detroit decides its money is better spent elsewhere.
There’s precedent for that kind of move. The Lions already traded T.J.
Hockenson to the Vikings, and if Holmes ever dealt LaPorta, it would almost certainly mean he already had a plan to replace him. That’s how he’s operated so far.
And if a trade like that helped Detroit pour more resources into the defense, it would make sense as a roster decision. The offense has already carried its weight, finishing 5th, 1st and 4th in points per game over the last three seasons. A good draft pick in return for LaPorta could be enough for the Lions to justify the move.
It would also be the kind of decision that reminds everyone of the one thing even Holmes can’t escape: no general manager is invincible.
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