According to a report from Ian Rapoport, the Detroit Lions and tight end Sam LaPorta have stopped contract negotiation talks after trying for weeks to get an extension done. Per Rapoport, talks extended through this weekend, but LaPorta’s camp wanted to break off conversations if they couldn’t result in a deal after four weeks into the season.
“With LaPorta wanting to fully focus on the field, the sides decided that any new contract would wait until the offseason after a push on Friday and Saturday
did not result in a deal,” Rapoport wrote.
However, in the same story, Rapoport correctly notes that Detroit has a history of in-season negotiations for extensions (see: Alim McNeill), and it’s possible talks resume later this year.
“The Lions continue to negotiate deals in-season and there is, at least, a chance they make another attempt at a deal that would make LaPorta one of the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends,” he wrote.
It’s unclear how close the sides are or what is keeping them from reaching a deal.
This offseason has been particularly lucrative for young tight ends. Packers’ Tucker Kraft signed a four-year, $75 million deal right before the start of the regular season, Raiders’ Michael Mayer received a three-year, $45 million deal, and Falcons’ Kyle Pitts inked a three-year, $54 million extension.
Publicly, the Lions general manager Brad Holmes has expressed an interest in extending all four of Detroit’s top picks in the 2023 NFL Draft class. They’ve already levied deals for Jahmyr Gibbs (three years, $67.5M) and Jack Campbell (four years, $81M), but with both LaPorta and safety Brian Branch coming back from season-ending injuries, it’s not surprising to see both of those negotiations drag on.
We’ll see if the two sides recommit to talks or if negotiations will be put on hold until the end of the season. If LaPorta doesn’t receive an extension, he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027. However, the Lions do hold the option to use the franchise tag on him, which is currently projected to be a one-year deal worth about $17.5 million.
