Lions TE Sam LaPorta ‘Sidelined Indefinitely’

When asked if LaPorta will be available for the start of the season, head coach Dan Campbell said: “I don’t know. I feel like we’ll be OK, but I don’t know.”

Going any amount of regular-season time without LaPorta, one of the NFL’s top tight ends, would be an unwelcome development for Detroit. The Lions went 6-3 with LaPorta and 3-5 without him last season. When LaPorta was in the lineup, they averaged 31.4 points per game. When he was out, the number dropped to 24.8.

If this injury drags into the regular season, it would be especially poor timing for LaPorta. He is now in a contract year, and though the Lions are interested in an extension, they and LaPorta were not close to a deal as of last week. A healthy LaPorta would benefit from an ever-rising tight end market and potentially approach or exceed $20MM per annum on a multiyear pact. At $19.1MM per year, the 49ers’ George Kittle tops the position in average salary.

LaPorta, whom the Lions took in the second round of the 2023 draft, burst on the scene with 86 catches, 889 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. He earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for his efforts. LaPorta’s production dropped off in 2024, though he still racked up 60 catches, 726 yards and seven TDs. While he missed almost half of last season, he was on a good pace with 40 grabs, 489 yards and three scores. LaPorta posted career highs in yards per reception (12.2) and catch rate (81.6%) in that nine-game span.

In the event LaPorta is not ready for Week 1, new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing could largely depend on Brock Wright and Tyler Conklin to pick up the slack. Wright, a sixth-year veteran, has never caught more than 18 passes in a season. Conklin recorded between 51 and 61 receptions in each season from 2021-24 (one with the Vikings, three with the Jets), but he plummeted to seven in 13 games with the Chargers last year. He joined the Lions on a one-year, $1.3MM deal during the offseason.