HH. BREAKING: Detroit’s next big mistake might be unfolding in plain sight — Sam LaPorta is being quietly pushed to the margins during this wave of extensions.
The Detroit Lions made a big splash on Wednesday, signing pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a mega four-year, $180 million deal that will keep him in Detroit through 2030.
The deal makes Hutchinson one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks and is the latest in a flurry of extensions the Lions front office has signed. Before Hutchinson, the Lions extended wide receiver Jameson Williams just before the season kicked off. Williams’ signing was a little unexpected, as many considered him a prime candidate to be the odd-man out, given there’s only so much money to go around.
Players the Lions have extended recently:
QB Jared Goff ($212M)
RB David Montgomery ($18.25M)
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (120.01M)
WR Jameson Williams ($83M)
RT Penei Sewell ($112M)
LT Taylor Decker ($60M)Edge Aidan Hutchinson ($180M)
DT Alim McNeill ($97M)
S Kerby Joseph ($86M)— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 29, 2025
The burden of the odd man out distinction may now fall on tight end Sam LaPorta, and it’s understandable why. The TE position isn’t considered a premium position like QB or pass rusher, and isn’t the most difficult to replace with a later round draft pick. Especially with schools such as Iowa, where LaPorta played, being a TE factory. Not to mention how loaded the Lions’ offense is already, priority may fall on extending defensive players like safety Brian Branch or linebacker Jack Campbell.
That doesn’t mean LaPorta is a bad player. In fact, quite the opposite. He might be too good to keep financially. The Lions should try to find room, anyway, and keep LaPorta long-term because he’s also too good to let go.
How much could LaPorta get paid?
Because TEs aren’t a premium position, they don’t get paid nearly as much as top WRs do. According to Sportrac, the highest-paid TE is San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle, who in 2025 signed a four-year $76.4 million deal. That is $400,000 above a similar deal signed by Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride weeks earlier.
Currently, LaPorta can’t be extended until after this season. A deal for LaPorta would likely be above this, given how the market is typically set by the most recent guy to sign, whether in total numbers or through guarantees. Like Hutchinson in comparison to Green Bay Packers’ Micah Parsons, LaPorta’s deal could total out lower than Kittle and McBride’s, but his guarantees could be higher.
McBride makes for a good baseline for LaPorta. The Pro Bowler may be two years older, but he’s still young at a position that tends to age well. McBride’s deal is backloaded, with the biggest cap hits coming in the final two years of his deal. It’s an easy pill for the Cardinals to swallow, given how much the salary cap increases each year and how little they have invested in other positions. LaPorta could be poised to be the first TE to eclipse $80 million on a deal, and money is already tight for the Lions.
The timing of a potential signing would matter. Luckily, Las Vegas Raiders’ star TE Brock Bowers won’t be eligible to sign his extension until after the 2026 season. That does provide some leeway, as Bowers will likely shatter records with his deal. The caveat to that is if the Lions don’t get a LaPorta deal done, he’ll be a free agent after 2026, so Bowers’ deal and competition could elevate LaPorta’s price tag well above $80 million.
The case for keeping LaPorta in a Lions’ uniform
Drafted in the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft, LaPorta was among the four controversial draft picks the Lions made at the time. LaPorta quickly proved doubters wrong with a record-setting rookie year, where he broke the record for receptions by a rookie TE with 89, which was since broken the following season by Bowers. His 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns led to him being selected to the Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro.
LaPorta’s second season didn’t match that same high, but he still amassed 726 receiving yards and seven TDs. He also made an extremely impressive TD catch in the Lions’ playoff loss to the Washington Commanders, when it felt like no one else on the team could make a play.
This season, LaPorta looks more like his rookie self. He currently has 339 yards and two TDs. Entering Week 9, LaPorta is the third-highest graded TE on Pro Football Focus at 78.9. However, his total number of snaps (402) far surpasses the two guys ahead of him: Carolina Panthers’ Mitchell Evans (183) and Buffalo Bills’ Jackson Hawes (194), giving him an argument for being the league’s best TE right now. TEs can be replaced through the draft, but it’d be tough to find someone who can produce at LaPorta’s level right away, both in receiving and in blocking, and that can hamper a contender.
There’s also the matter of where LaPorta could go if he is a free agent. One prime destination would be a reunion with his old offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, with the Chicago Bears. It’s too early to tell where the Bears would be in 2027, when LaPorta is an unrestricted free agent, but it is a frightening possibility to consider an elite TE going to a division rival that is already familiar with the best ways to utilize him.
It remains to be seen how Brad Holmes handles the extensions for his amazing 2023 draft class. The franchise tag may be an option, but Holmes has already been known to take care of his players who perform at a high level, as well as surprise fans with his moves. It would take some continued cap wizardry, and the “odd-man out” could be numerous smaller-contract guys like TE Brock Wright or an older fan-favorite like LB Alex Anzalone. If anyone could make a deal for LaPorta work, it’s Holmes.
Ultimately, having so many former draft picks worthy of resetting the market is a great problem to have, even if it may give the front office some headaches. Great players and great drafting will ensure the Lions will be competitive for years to come, and hopefully LaPorta has a place in that future.
Drake Maye Responds to Jason Kelce’s Candid Statement Exposing Erika Kirk’s Speech at Ole Miss as a Calculated Fundraising Stunt
Drake Maye, the star quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, has responded to Jason Kelce’s recent candid statement, which criticized Erika Kirk’s speech at Ole Miss as a well-calculated fundraising stunt. Maye, who has been vocal about the impact of athletes’ activism and fundraising efforts, didn’t hold back in his defense of Kirk, challenging the narrative presented by Kelce.
In an interview, Maye addressed Kelce’s comments, which had caused a stir in the sports community. “I think Jason missed the point,” Maye said. “Erika’s intentions were about more than just raising money — she’s trying to make a real impact. The way people are framing this as a ‘calculated stunt’ doesn’t do justice to the work she’s doing. We should be focusing on the cause, not attacking people who are trying to make a difference.”
Kelce, in his statement, had described Kirk’s speech at Ole Miss as a “calculated move,” suggesting that her public appearance and the subsequent fundraising efforts were part of a larger scheme to boost visibility and financial support for her own initiatives. According to Kelce, the timing of the speech and its highly publicized nature made it clear that Kirk was using the moment to further her own goals, rather than genuinely advancing the causes she spoke about.
Maye, however, emphasized the importance of supporting athletes and activists who use their platforms to address important issues, even if their actions also involve raising money. “People like Erika Kirk have the platform, and they’re trying to do good with it,” he argued. “Whether it’s through a speech or a fundraising effort, if it leads to real change, then it’s worth it. We should be looking at the bigger picture here.”
Maye also pushed back against the idea that athletes and activists should be judged solely on their public appearances or fundraising activities. “We can’t keep judging people for using their voice,” he said. “Everyone who’s trying to raise awareness for a cause or fight for something important is doing the work. Let’s support those efforts, not tear them down.”
As the debate surrounding Kirk’s speech continues, Maye’s comments highlight a broader issue within the sports and activism communities: the fine line between visibility, fundraising, and genuine social impact. While Kelce’s perspective is rooted in skepticism, Maye and others believe it’s important to view these efforts as part of a larger movement for change, not as calculated moves for personal gain.
“I’ll stand by people like Erika, who are trying to make a real difference,” Maye concluded. “And I think we all should.”
