Sam LaPorta said he doesn't regret the interview he gave about his contract situation on a podcast this week, and the Detroit Lions tight end insists he still wants to get a long-term deal done to stay in Detroit.
"I feel bad if there was any sort of distraction to the team, or my teammates, or the coaches," LaPorta said Friday, Oct. 23, in Allen Park. "But I think – I think there was maybe a bit of a misconception with, I guess – like my intentions are, I want to play for this team. 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, I guess."
LaPorta, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, told the "Pardon My Take" podcast this week his heartstrings felt "twisted" by contract talks that have yet to yield a long-term extension one year after he missed half a season with back surgery.
In his podcast interview, LaPorta said, he's OK "if I don’t get to wear the Honolulu Blue and play for the Lions anymore" after this season because "I’ll go get paid somewhere else, so, whatever."
"I think the combination of getting your heartstrings twisted as well as the violent sport that we play, it sucks and it’s disappointing that you go out there every week and you bear the risk of getting hurt," he said on PMT. "Like last year, whatever it was, Week 9, Week 10, I break my [expletive] 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."
Lions fans have mostly reacted negatively to the nonchalance LaPorta showed in discussing his situation, but LaPorta said Friday it's "an important thing for" his family to land a deal that gives him security.
LaPorta and his wife, Callie, are expecting their first baby later this fall and LaPorta said the family will "welcome our baby girl into the world in metro Detroit." Last year, LaPorta missed eight games with a disc injury in his back that he said this summer made him briefly think his career might be over.
"We want to be here with the Lions," LaPorta said Friday. "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."
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Asked if he regretted his comments, LaPorta said, "I don't know if I regret it. I just don't expect other people to understand, and we're very blessed. Like, 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 like, 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."
Sam LaPorta talked with reporters after Lions practice, saying he doesn't know if he regrets his comments, but just wants stability to match his production.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 23, 2026
"My intentions are: I want to play for this team. I give everything I have," the tight end said.
"We're gonna welcome… pic.twitter.com/2wKYFdOrlB
The Lions have historically signed their young cornerstone players to long-term extensions well before they hit free agency, but LaPorta, a second-round pick in 2023, said in early October he and the team were at an impasse in talks.
LaPorta is making $5.675 million this season and is seeking a new deal that would make him among the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL. He declined to elaborate Friday on whether talks have stalled over guaranteed money, total contractual value or another part of the negotiation.
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George Kittle, the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, makes an average of $19.1 million per year, and several young tight ends (and fellow members of LaPorta's 2023 draft class) have received new contracts in recent months.
LaPorta, who turns 26 in January, is the top tight end scheduled to hit free agency in March.
Lions coach Dan Campbell defended LaPorta as "an unselfish teammate" and "unselfish player" before practice Friday, and insisted LaPorta's comments are not a distraction "in this building."
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Campbell answered four questions about LaPorta's contract among other topics in his nearly 9-minute news conference before leaving the podium agitated after the final query.
"Sometimes things happen, things get said," Campbell said. "It’s all good, man. And you can never take anything personal when you start talking about business. That’s why business and football, they don’t belong with each other. But it’s the world we’re in and it makes the world go round for all of us."
Dan Campbell goes off on Dave Birkett over his questions about Sam Laporta and his comments on Pardon My Take Podcast😳#OnePridepic.twitter.com/VEVXkfU8xA
— eric (@eric_ikyg) October 23, 2026
LaPorta disputed a suggestion his strong play to start the season has been spurred on by his the state of negotiations - he's tied for second on the Lions through five games with 27 catches for 316 yards and three touchdowns and ranks seventh in the NFL in receptions by a tight end this year - and he blamed the media for the way his comments have been perceived by fans.
"I think the media will always take small stories and run with it and turn them into big ones," he said. "And when they splice together comments, anything can seem more harsh or bigger than the reality really is. I am one person in a ginormous cog, a ginormous machine in this building, and I want to continue to do my part, and hopefully something happens soon."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sam LaPorta: No regrets about podcast interview, wants to stay with Lions