The Tight End Market Just Changed and LaPorta Is About to Get Paid
Kyle Pitts just reset the tight end market. The Atlanta Falcons handed him a three year deal worth $54 million with $36 million fully guaranteed. That is $18 million per year, making him the third highest paid tight end in the league. And if you are a Detroit Lions fan who thinks the answer here is to just let Sam LaPorta walk when his time comes, you are looking at this all wrong.
Right now the top of the market sits with George Kittle at $19.3 million annually and Trey McBride at $19 million flat. LaPorta has a real chance of becoming the first tight end in NFL history to cross the $20 million threshold. The market demands it. And Brad Holmes is going to pay it.
This Is Not the Hockenson Trade All Over Again
Some of you saw that number and immediately went to T.J. Hockenson. The Lions traded him away in 2022 rather than pay him top of market money. Why would this be any different?
Because the Lions were a completely rebuilding football team when they moved Hockenson. Making him the highest paid tight end in the league at that point would have hamstrung the roster. Detroit was digging out of financial strife that previous front office regimes left behind. That trade made sense then.
That is not where this team is now.
LaPorta Is Too Important to Lose
The Lions have one of the best tight ends in the league and they are about to run an offense that features tight ends even more heavily than before. Drew Petzing is in town now. You know what Petzing did in Arizona? He turned Trey McBride into a $19 million per year player by feeding him targets in a tight end heavy system. Why on earth would you let one of the best tight ends in football leave right when you are about to utilize the position more than you ever have?
On top of that LaPorta is a safety blanket for Jared Goff. He is one of the guys Goff knows he can throw to and the ball will be caught. LaPorta is also one of those rare tight ends with yards after catch ability. You just do not see that often.
Tight ends are closer to quarterbacks in terms of how difficult they are to find. You can find a good blocking tight end. But a good receiving tight end who can also block and has that yards after catch ability is not something easily replaceable. The Lions would be crazy to let him walk.
What a LaPorta Extension Could Look Like
A projected four year extension worth $80 million with $52 million guaranteed would give LaPorta a $20 million annual salary. That would make him the highest paid tight end in NFL history.
We have to stop looking at the big number when it comes to these contracts and start looking at all of the numbers. If you look at the way the Lions have been structuring deals lately you see a totally different story. Sure the top line number looks massive but when you open it up and see what is under the hood you will see how the Lions are able to make money guaranteed through bonuses while keeping cap hits low early in the contract. That structure allows the team to continue signing free agents, extending draft picks, and making trades. It is smart roster construction.
The Injury Concern Is Overblown
LaPorta left last season with a back injury. Of all the players being watched on the injury front right now, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, and LaPorta, LaPorta was the one who actually participated during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. It was more of a walkthrough situation but the fact that he was out there at all is a good sign.
More importantly Brad Holmes was asked shortly before the draft whether these injuries had any bearing on whether players would receive extensions. He said they would not.
LaPorta is getting paid and the Lions love him. Whether it happens before the season or during the season there is virtually no chance he hits free agency next year. LaPorta will be here in 2027 and beyond.
So are you paying LaPorta $20 million or are you letting one of the best weapons Goff has ever had walk out the door? Drop your take below.
