Sam LaPorta sounds ready for free agency.
"I’m going to continue to do my thing and ball out and in three months, if I don’t get to wear the Honolulu blue and play for the Lions anymore, it’s going to be all good. I’ll go get paid somewhere else, so, whatever," LaPorta said in a recent episode of the Pardon My Take podcast.
Contract talks between LaPorta and the Detroit Lions stalled earlier this month, and if LaPorta becomes an unrestricted free agent when his current deal expires in March – no sure thing, since the Lions can use the franchise tag to keep him in town – he'll be the clear-cut best tight end in what could be a red-hot market.
Three tight ends have signed long-term extensions worth at least $15 million per year in recent months,
including two of LaPorta's classmates from the 2023 NFL Draft.
LaPorta, 25, is one of two top tight ends from that draft yet to get a new deal, and the only one set to be a free agent next spring. Dalton Kincaid of the Buffalo Bills, who was taken nine picks ahead of LaPorta, won't be a free agent until 2028 after the Bills picked up his fifth-year option.
The Lions did not have an option year on LaPorta's contract because he was a second-round pick, and the tight end hinted at his disdain for being one of the last unsigned tight ends from his draft class in an interview with Detroit reporters earlier this month.
At the time, LaPorta said he was "optimistic" about getting a deal done to stay in Detroit "because this is the organization that took a chance on me and drafted me and took me in."
"There was a very deep tight end class the year that I came out in 2023," LaPorta said. "And there's been a lot of great tight ends that have come out of that class, some of which have gotten paid, some of which are younger than me and gotten paid, and that's about all I can comment on other than, I'm going to keep doing my thing, keeping my head down and working hard."
Kincaid was the first tight end taken in 2023 at Pick No. 25 overall. The Lions took LaPorta with the second pick of the second round, No. 34 overall, and tight ends Michael Mayer (No. 35), Luke Musgrave (42), Luke Schoonmaker (58), Brenton Strange (61), Tucker Kraft (78) and Darnell Washington (93) all went in the first 100 picks.
Kraft, who shares an agent with LaPorta, signed a four-year extension with the Green Bay Packers before the start of the season that made him the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL at $18.75 million per season. Mayer, the No. 2 tight end with the Las Vegas Raiders, signed a three-year contract worth $15 million annually. And Strange ($12 million per year) and Washington ($10.5 million per year) also have gotten new deals.
George Kittle, who also shares an agent with LaPorta and Kraft, is the NFL's highest-paid tight end at $19.1 million per season.
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LaPorta, who has more catches (213), receiving yards (2,420) and touchdowns (23) than any tight end in his draft class (and most receivers), is one of the youngest and most accomplished tight ends set for free agency next spring.
His injury history could impact his contract – he missed eight games with a back injury that required disc surgery last year. But in a league where the salary cap and tight end usage are soring, he still could end up resetting the market.
For the now, the contract website Spotracputs LaPorta's free agent value at just over $15 million per season, well ahead of fellow pending free agents T.J. Hockenson ($10.18 million), Colby Parkinson ($9.93 million) and Dallas Goedert ($8.06 million).
Hockenson and Goedert will play next season and 30 and 32 years old, respectively, while Parkinson turns 28 in January. Travis Kelce, the 37-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end, and 32-year-old Evan Engram also are scheduled to be free agents.
LaPorta indicated in his interview with Detroit reporters he remained open to signing a new deal with the Lions in-season, though he left no doubt about his frustrations with negotiations in his podcast interview this week.
"I think the combination of 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. "Like last year, whatever it was, Week 9, Week 10, I break my [expletive] back for the team and then I’m going out there this year and I’m balling and maybe they’re just not showing the love. So it sucks."
Highest-paid tight ends in the NFL
Numbers according to OverTheCap.com.
- George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (age 33) – $19.1 million per season.
- Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (27) – $19 million per season.
- Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers (26) – $18.75 million per season.
- Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (26) – $17.667 million per season.
- Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders (25) – $15 million per season.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Unhappy Sam LaPorta could get big payday in 2027 NFL free agency
