Lions TE Sam Laporta clarifies contract comments: 'I want to play for this team'

Sam LaPorta’s appearance on Tuesday’s episode of Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” turned heads. The Detroit Lions tight end voiced his frustration over seemingly stalled contract talks with the organization that drafted him with the 34th overall pick out of Iowa in 2023.

LaPorta, playing in the final year of his rookie deal, said on the podcast that if it turns out he doesn’t get to represent the Lions beyond this season, “it’s going to be all good.”

“I'll go get paid somewhere else,” he said at the time.

The 25-year-old LaPorta was asked about those comments on Friday. He clarified that his preference is to stay in Detroit.

“I feel bad if there was any sort of distraction to the team or my teammates or the coaches, but I think there was maybe a bit of a misconception with — my intentions are, I want to play for this team,” LaPorta said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy.

“I give everything I have. My teammates do as well. They all love me, respect me and support me, and they want to see me be happy and compensated.”

LaPorta’s drama-stirring remarks followed him being asked on “Pardon My Take” about playing with the uncertainty of his NFL future looming.

"I think the combination of getting your heartstrings twisted as well as the violent sport that we play, it sucks," LaPorta said in Tuesday’s episode of the podcast. "And it's disappointing that you go out there every week and you bear the risk of getting hurt. Like last year, whatever it was, Week 9, Week 10, I break my f***ing back for the team. And then I'm going out there this year, and I'm balling, and maybe they're just not showing the love.

"So it sucks. I'm going to continue to be a pro, and I dish a lot of that to my agent, and he handles that great. ... So I'm going to continue to go do my thing and ball out. 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 go get paid somewhere else."

The injury LaPorta referenced was a herniated disc that required surgery, specifically a microdiscectomy, last November.

Since returning to game action, LaPorta has resumed his stellar play. In five games this season, he's already piled up 27 catches, 316 receiving yards and 3 touchdown grabs.

LaPorta, who made the Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors as a rookie in 2023, currently is tied for second on the team in receptions with running back Jahmyr Gibbs, in addition to ranking second among all Lions players in receiving yards, behind only wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.

On Friday, LaPorta explained that he doesn’t expect others to care about why he’s frustrated that the Lions still haven’t extended him.

“But emotionally for me and my family, it's an important thing for us,” he said. “We want to have stability.”

He then mentioned how he and his wife are going to have their first child in the coming months.

“We're going to welcome our baby girl into the world in Metro Detroit. We want to be here with the Lions,” he added. “And I guess I'm getting emotional about it, but in the grand scheme of things, it's really a business, and you have to respect what the front office is doing because they're the ones calling the shots. They're the ones that brought me in. This is my first team. They've been nothing but supportive of me and my career.”

Given LaPorta’s awareness of the business element of his situation, a reporter inquired if he regretted the way his comments turned out on “Pardon My Take.”

“I don't know if I regret it,” he said. “I just don't expect other people to understand. We're very blessed. I'm getting paid millions of dollars this year, so you have to take it with a grain of salt. It's coming from a stance of I want security for me and my family, but also when I reflect on other people in the league, I feel like I'm doing just as good of a job, if not better, and I want to be paid like those guys.”