Read the room.
That is all Detroit sports fans are asking these local athletes to do. Nobody is burying their heads in the sand, oblivious to the fact these athletes are playing a kids game for a significant amount of money.
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta quickly learned that fans in Detroit are not going to sit back and watch him proclaim that he can get paid elsewhere.
Whatever.
Lately, each professional team in Detroit has had one player make their contract situation very awkward and uncomfortable.
LaPorta, a former second-round who is playing on the last year of his rookie contract, went on the "Pardon My Take" podcast and was likely a little too comfortable when he answered the question about playing in 2026 without having a new contract extension.
The Red Wings are dealing with Dylan Larkin, whose demand to be traded went public. The Tigers eventually dealt pitcher Tarik Skubal, but not before he spent a couple of years proclaiming his love for the City and wanting to be a Tigers, yet hired a powerful agent to get him to a team that could possibly pay him a lucrative contract. Jalen Duren of the Pistons caught the wrath of fans for how his saga played out over the course of an entire summer.
How did that trip to Sacramento go Jalen? Nobody believed seriously that he was interested in joining an irrelevant NBA franchise. It was all a negotiation ploy.
LaPorta failed to realize his comments came across to regular fans as tone-deaf and selfish. Everybody understands he wants to be paid a contract that is similar to or exceeds what the top players at his position earn.
He may have even been low-balled by general manager Brad Holmes.
What turned many people off is the flippant answer that came across that he did not care. much if his playing days were in Detroit or somewhere else.
Fans have been asked to weather raising ticket prices, a team that has regressed and witnessing one of the worst defenses in NFL history.
The last thing they were interested in hearing was a star player talking about taking his ball and going somewhere else.
Yes, we like players to join podcasts and be honest. But the 25-year-old could have answered the question much, much differently.
Do the Lions even have a P.R. staff? It appeared the staffer assigned to LaPorta might have just taken the week off or didn't care he was going to appear on one of the biggest sports podcast of all-time.
Maybe the Lions public relations department were updating their files that week? Who knows.
He could have mentioned his frustrations and why. The part of the answer that frustrated people the most was, '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. So, whatever.'
Really showing that appreciation for the fans that pay high ticket prices to watch the Lions each and every week.
In an economy where many are struggling financially, those type of comments should have been reserved for his agent of his friends. Maybe the backlash will wake up more players to the idea that many fans care more about the logo on the front than the name on the back.
If LaPorta leaves, Detroit will simply draft another solid tight end and it will still be all good. So, whatever.
LaPorta should have read the room better and maybe taken a page out of the playbook of Jack Campbell, who masterfully handled his contract talks and eventual extension.
For more comprehensive Detroit Lions coverage and NFL insider analysis, follow us on X, @detroitpodcast,head on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, follow us on TikTok, subscribe to the Detroit Lions On SI Lone Wolves YouTube Channel for daily videos, news, member-exclusive content.
Add us as a preferred source on Google