Sam LaPorta is 100% wrong.
The Detroit Lions tight end has no excuse for stirring up drama by publicly complaining about his contract.
He has no excuse because voicing any kind of disharmony between a pivotal player and the team can only serve as a distraction for the rest of the team at a crucial time.
And a distraction is exactly what the Lions don’t need as they enter a pivotal stretch of four games that begins with their first divisional matchup Sunday, Oct. 25, against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field.
LaPorta has a right to be upset that the Lions haven’t given him a massive raise and contract extension in his final year before he reaches free agency. He has been an excellent player, a difference-maker and a Pro Bowler. And he has sacrificed
his body while doing so, playing through injuries to help his team reach heights unseen in 30 years.
But he has also been hurt. He missed the final eight games last year when he suffered a back injury that required surgery, before returning this season without missing a beat – 316 receiving yards, which ranks near the top among NFL tight ends.
It’s understandable LaPorta is upset the Lions haven’t showered him with love – and money – the way they recently did Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams, among others on the offense.
But let’s be real. He had to be raging, burn-it-all-down furious to get to the point where he was willing to air his grievances on Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” podcast,which aired Wednesday, Oct. 21, and has about 1 million to 2 million listeners per episode.
“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,” he said on the podcast. “Like last year, whatever it was, Week 9, Week 10, you know, I break my [expletive] back for the team and them I'm going out there this year and I'm balling and maybe they're just not showing the love.
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“So it sucks and I’m going to continue to be a pro.”
Except that making these comments is the opposite of being a pro. A pro keeps his mouth quiet. A pro doesn’t go public. A pro doesn’t do anything to possibly disrupt team focus and harmony.
I get that LaPorta wants to advocate for himself and is risking his body every time he takes the field. But so does every other football player. It’s a brutal business, on the field and in the business ledgers. I also get that, if I were the Lions, I wouldn’t rush to pay player who’s coming off a major injury, especially if he’s looking to set the tight end market (or come close to setting it).
LaPorta wasn’t done. He also fired a shot across the Lions’ bow with these comments that could be read as a threat.
“I'm going to continue to do my thing and ball out,” he said. “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 get paid somewhere else. So whatever.”
What LaPorta was really saying is that he’s gone. If contract talks had already stalled in the last month, they’re surely dead now; the Lions don’t want to set a precedent by placating and rewarding a complaining player.
That means it’s incredibly unlikely the Lions will sign LaPorta as an unrestricted free agent in 2027. And it’s almost as unlikely they’ll use the franchise tag to force a deeply unhappy player to stay.
As for how this affects the rest of the team, it was obvious LaPorta’s comments had spread through the locker room by Thursday, when LaPorta was a no-show during the 45 minutes of media access. That left his teammates to answer for him, though several declined comment.
Lions coach Dan Campbell can address the situation when he speaks with reporters Friday. That left offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as Campbell’s closest surrogate Thursday.
When I asked Petzing how he could help keep LaPorta’s comments from being a distraction for his players, he offered the verbal equivalent of Homer Simpson backing into a bush.
“Probably just do my job and move on,” he said, “and don't acknowledge it, honestly.”
Leaders: They aren’t born, they’re cornered.
No one knows how this will play out and how much impact it will have on the offense and the team. But if it has any impact, it will be negative. It might give other players license to gripe and complain about the inequities of their contracts. And that, folks, is how you create a fractured locker room.
The timing couldn’t be worse. After Sunday’s game against the Packers, who sit at 4-2, the Lions host the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, then visit the 0-5 Miami Dolphins and face the 4-2 New England Patriots in Munich, Germany. The Lions are 3-2 and still trying to figure out their leaky defense.
If they lose to Green Bay, Minnesota and New England – we'll count the Dolphins as a win, at least until they get one of their own – they’ll be 4-5 with eight games left. That means they would have to go 6-2 to get to 10 wins – usually the minimum to make the playoffs.
If the Lions end up missing the playoffs, there will be plenty of blame to go around. But we shouldn’t forget what LaPorta has done. Through a misguided attempt to stand up for himself, he might have tripped up the rest of his team.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on X @cmonarrez.
Next up: Packers
Matchup: Lions (3-2) vs. Green Bay (4-2).
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25; Ford Field, Detroit.
TV/radio: Fox; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Line: Lions by 3½.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sam LaPorta contract drama is last thing Detroit Lions need
