Last updated: October 22, 2026. Statistics run through Week 5 (October 11), because the Lions were on their bye in Week 6. Stats, injury news and contract talks change quickly, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the official Lions player page before you rely on it.
Table of Contents
Sam LaPorta is the Detroit Lions’ tight end, a Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2023 and one of quarterback Jared Goff’s most trusted pass catchers. He is also in the middle of a complicated season. He has come back from back surgery to post big numbers through five games, while contract talks with the team have stalled. This guide covers where he came from, what he did at Iowa, the records he set in the NFL, his injuries, his 2026 production and the contract question that now hangs over Detroit’s offense.
Good for: readers who want a complete Sam LaPorta profile covering his Iowa background, Lions career, rookie records, awards, injury return, 2026 production and contract situation, including readers who have never followed football.
Sam LaPorta at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Team and number | Detroit Lions, No. 87 |
| Position | Tight end |
| Height and weight | 6 feet 3 inches, 245 pounds, per the Lions |
| Born | January 12, 2001, in Highland, Illinois |
| College | University of Iowa (2019 to 2022) |
| Draft | 2023, second round, No. 34 overall |
| NFL experience | Fourth season |
| Major honors | 2023 Pro Bowl; 2023 second-team AP All-Pro; 2023 PFWA All-Rookie Team |
| 2026 through Week 5 | 27 receptions, 316 yards, 3 touchdowns |
| Career through Week 5 | 47 games, 213 receptions, 2,420 yards, 23 touchdowns |
| Contract | Final year of a four-year, $9.47 million rookie deal |
The Lions’ own page lists the career totals above, and the NFL.com career table matches them. Some third-party pages are a game or two behind, so figures can differ slightly depending on where you look.
Who Is Sam LaPorta?
LaPorta is a 25-year-old tight end from the small town of Highland, Illinois. Detroit drafted him in the second round in 2023, and within a single season he had set a league record for rookie tight ends. Since then he has dealt with injuries, including a back problem that cost him the final eight games of 2025, and he is now playing some of the best football of his comeback.
What a tight end does
For readers new to the sport, the position needs a quick explanation. A tight end is a hybrid. On some plays he lines up next to the offensive line and blocks defenders to open running lanes. On others he runs routes and catches passes like a wide receiver. The best ones do both. That makes the position hard to fill, and it is why a tight end who catches a lot of passes, as LaPorta does, can be so valuable.
Why he matters to Detroit
The Lions are the NFL team based in Detroit, owned by the Ford family and playing at Ford Field. Our guide to who owns the Detroit Lions covers the front office, including general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. LaPorta is one of the core players from the 2023 draft class that Holmes assembled, and Detroit’s passing game leans on his ability to move the chains on third down.
College Career at Iowa
Before Iowa, there was Highland High School. According to the Iowa Hawkeyes’ official biography, LaPorta lettered four years as a wide receiver and defensive back, and his team went 40-6 over that span. He finished second in Illinois high school history in career receiving touchdowns (50) and third in receiving yards (3,793). As a senior he caught 68 passes for 1,457 yards and 19 touchdowns, and he made 53 tackles with seven interceptions on defense. He also lettered in basketball and track and captained his team for three years.
At Iowa, he arrived as a receiver learning to play tight end. His progress was gradual, and that is part of the story.
| Season | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns | Notes |
| 2019 | 15 | 188 | 0 | Backup behind two veteran tight ends, per Wikipedia |
| 2020 | 27 | 271 | 1 | Eight games, shared starts |
| 2021 | 53 | 670 | 3 | Became the starter; second-team All-Big Ten (Phil Steele) |
| 2022 | 58 | 657 | 1 | Big Ten Tight End of the Year; first-team All-Big Ten |
| Career | 153 | 1,786 | 5 | First among Iowa tight ends in career receptions |
Source for the season splits: Wikipedia’s biography. The career total of 153 catches for 1,786 yards and five touchdowns also appears on the Iowa and Lions pages.
His 2022 senior year was the breakout. Iowa’s offense struggled that season, and LaPorta was often the one reliable outlet. He earned the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year award, first-team All-Big Ten recognition from coaches and media, and was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top tight end. Iowa also named him its offensive most valuable player (the Roy Carver Award) and a permanent team captain, and he received the Hayden Fry Award. Earlier, he had put together a streak of 24 straight games with a catch, from 2019 through 2021.
Off the field, the Hawkeyes’ page notes he majored in business, made the Dean’s List in spring 2020 and fall 2022, and earned Academic All-State recognition three times in high school. He is the son of Staci and Joseph LaPorta.
2023 NFL Draft and Rookie Season
The Lions selected LaPorta with the 34th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the second pick of the second round. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran an official 4.59-second 40-yard dash, per NFL.com.
What scouts saw
Draft evaluators were not unanimous. Sports Illustrated’s draft profile gave him a third-round grade. It praised his route running at short and intermediate depth, his football IQ against zone coverage and his physical running after the catch. It also noted that he labors off the line of scrimmage and lacks fast-twitch acceleration. His blocking was strongest against defensive backs and linebackers and weaker against defensive linemen.
Pride of Detroit’s scouting report described him as an excellent receiver and a very good route runner who had developed into a solid blocker, with some drops. It compared him to T.J. Hockenson, the previous Iowa tight end Detroit had drafted, noting both were high school receivers with strong ball skills.
The record-setting year
The rookie season answered the skeptics. In 2023 he played 17 games, started 14 and caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. According to the Lions, he:
- set the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end (86);
- set Lions franchise records for a tight end in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a season;
- led all NFL tight ends in receiving touchdowns;
- tied for second among rookie tight ends in touchdowns and ranked fourth in yards; and
- made 21 postseason catches, the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
The reception record came in Week 18, a 30-20 win over Minnesota on January 7, 2024. The Lions’ game notebook reports that his 82nd catch passed Keith Jackson’s total of 81 from 1988. Late in the second quarter, though, he left the field on a cart after his left knee bent awkwardly on a tackle. Coach Dan Campbell said the injury was “probably not as bad as it looked but it’s not good news.” He was back for the playoffs.
One footnote keeps the record honest. Wikipedia notes that Brock Bowers of the Raiders later broke LaPorta’s single-season rookie tight end reception mark in 2024. LaPorta held the record for a year, and the franchise records still stand.
Awards and NFL Recognition
| Honor | Year |
| Pro Bowl | 2023 |
| Second-team AP All-Pro | 2023 |
| PFWA All-Rookie Team | 2023 |
| Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week | 2023 (Weeks 13 and 15) |
| Third in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting | 2023 |
| NFL Top 100 Players ranking | No. 80 (2024), No. 94 (2025) |
The Lions’ career stats page lists the Pro Bowl, All-Pro and Rookie of the Week honors. The AP voting finish comes from Pro Football Reference, and the Top 100 rankings and All-Rookie selection come from Wikipedia.
What do these say? That his rookie impact was real and immediate. What they do not say is that he has repeated it. All of his major honors came in his first season, and nothing since has matched that peak, in part because of injuries.
2024 and 2025 Seasons
His second year was steady rather than spectacular. In 2024, LaPorta played 16 games, all as a starter, and caught 60 passes for 726 yards and seven touchdowns, an average of 12.1 yards per catch. That was down from his rookie total of 86, though his yards per catch rose.
The 2025 season started well and then ended abruptly. Through nine games he had 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a career-best 12.2 yards per reception, according to the Lions. On November 9, 2025 at Washington, he passed Eric Ebron for the fifth-most receiving yards by a tight end in Lions history. It was also his last game of the year. The Associated Press noted that his production had dipped in each of his two seasons after the rookie year, and that Detroit finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
That context matters for 2026. He is not simply a veteran with a long track record. He is a player trying to prove that the injury that ended 2025 is behind him.
Back Injury, Surgery, and 2026 Return
The injury happened in Week 10 of the 2025 season at Washington. The Lions placed LaPorta on injured reserve with a back injury, ruling him out for at least four games, according to NFL.com. A November 21 NFL.com roundup described his chance of returning in 2025 as slim. He had surgery in November. Bleacher Nation later reported the diagnosis as a vertebral bruise and a herniated disc, and RotoWire described it as a herniated disc. He missed the final eight games of the year.
The rehab timeline
The Lions’ training camp notes from July 29, 2026 fill in the recovery. LaPorta said that hearing the words “back surgery” made him uneasy. He began rehab on January 4, about five weeks after the procedure, working with the team’s director of player health and performance, Brett Fischer, and his staff. He spent most of the offseason in Detroit, and the team had to tell him to take breaks away from the building.
Nerve recovery came in stages. According to the Lions, strength returned first in his glutes, then the hamstring, then the calf. About two or three months before camp, he regained full strength in his back and leg. He was a full participant in the first practice of training camp with no restrictions.
The camp hip scare
The recovery was not entirely smooth. On August 20, 2026, the AP reported that LaPorta was sitting out camp practices with a hip injury after being hit in the hip earlier in the week, a flare-up that FantasyNerds also covered. Dan Campbell said the hip was “a little aggravated, but we feel good long term about him,” and he would not commit to a Week 1 return. LaPorta played in the opener, catching five passes on eight targets, and has played in every game since.
Medical details deserve restraint. Everything above comes from the team and the reporters who cover it. No one outside the medical staff can say how his back will hold up over a full season, and this guide does not try.
2026 Season With the Lions
Through five games, LaPorta has 27 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns, an average of 11.7 yards per catch, with a long of 38 yards. The Lions’ five-weeks piece points out that those reception and yardage totals are the most by a Lions tight end through the first five games of any season, and his three touchdowns are tied for the most. It adds that he is on pace to pass the 86 catches and 889 yards he put up as a rookie. Detroit is 3-2 heading into its bye week.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Targets | Catches | Yards | TD |
| 1 | Sept. 13 | vs. Saints | W 31-30 (OT) | 8 | 5 | 48 | 0 |
| 2 | Sept. 17 | at Bills | L 31-41 | 7 | 6 | 52 | 1 |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | vs. Jets | W 31-24 | 4 | 3 | 44 | 0 |
| 4 | Oct. 4 | at Panthers | L 26-32 | 13 | 8 | 84 | 1 |
| 5 | Oct. 11 | at Cardinals | W 45-21 | 5 | 5 | 88 | 1 |
| Total | 3-2 | 37 | 27 | 316 | 3 |
Weekly catches, yards and touchdowns match the Lions’ game log. Targets come from StatMuse and FantasyData.
The two best games
Week 4 was a season high in all three receiving categories at the time. RotoWire reports he caught eight of 13 targets for 84 yards and an eight-yard touchdown with 3:38 left in a 32-26 loss at Carolina on Sunday night. The touchdown cut the lead, though Detroit could not complete the comeback.
One week later, in Arizona, he was the offense’s engine. He caught all five of his targets for 88 yards and a 38-yard touchdown in the 45-21 win. Jared Goff singled out three of those plays after the game: a fourth-down conversion on an in-cut, a fourth-and-one touchdown and a third-and-long checkdown that set up another fourth-and-one. “Those three plays alone changed the entire landscape of the game,” Goff said, and he called LaPorta “the catalyst today for everything,” according to the Lions.
What the deeper numbers say
Advanced stats add texture. RotoWire’s tracking shows 37 targets and a 73.0 percent catch rate, with 1.88 yards per route run and 19.3 percent of Detroit’s targets, on 168 routes. In plain terms, nearly one of every five throws is going his way, and he is catching almost three of every four. Those figures come from a third-party tracker, not the NFL, so treat them as estimates.
The next game is Sunday, October 25 against Green Bay at Ford Field, a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX. Check our guide to where to watch Packers vs. Lions for the channel (our game-day TV channel guide explains how FOX 2 fits in), and our Lions schedule and how to watch the Lions pages for the rest of the season. For the earlier game, see our preview of Lions vs. Cardinals.
What this means for you: if you play fantasy football, a 19 percent target share with a steady catch rate is the profile of a dependable weekly starter. The usual caution applies. A single game can swing his totals, and the Week 4 spike came on 13 targets, which is not a number to expect every week.
Contract Status and Future With Detroit
This is the part of the story that is still unfolding. LaPorta is in the final year of his four-year, $9.47 million rookie contract, signed in June 2023, according to RotoWire. He is eligible for an extension. Unless the Lions and LaPorta agree on one, he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Contract terms in plain English
A few terms help here. An unrestricted free agent is a player whose contract has expired and who is free to sign with any team. The franchise tag lets a team keep a player for one more season at a salary tied to the league’s top-paid players at his position, and the transition tag is a cheaper, weaker version. Pro Football Rumors projects the franchise tag at roughly $17.5 million and the transition tag at $14.6 million.
What has been reported
On October 4, Ian Rapoport reported that LaPorta and the Lions had broken off contract talks after several weeks, according to RotoWire and NBC Sports. Pro Football Rumors reports that a push on Friday and Saturday produced no deal. It adds that Detroit is open to in-season extensions, though Rapoport considered a revival unlikely at the time. Yahoo Sports quotes Rapoport differently, saying Detroit continues to negotiate in-season and that there is a chance the sides try again.
The Lions side has been public about its intent. General manager Brad Holmes said in early September that Detroit is committed to getting a deal done, per RotoWire, and Yahoo reports he wants to extend all four of the team’s top 2023 draft picks. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs has already signed a long-term extension. A September 12 CBS Sports headline said the Lions restructured two contracts and opened the door for deals with LaPorta and safety Brian Branch.
LaPorta’s own words are the sharpest data point. Bleacher Report says he told a Wednesday episode of Pardon My Take, covered on October 21, that the mix of business and the violence of the sport “sucks,” and that he feels he put his back on the line for the team and is playing well now, so “maybe they’re just not showing the love.” He added that if he is traded or leaves, he will “go get paid somewhere else.” Earlier, on October 7, he said talks had reached a “stalemate” and that he was leaving the negotiating to his agent, Jack Bechta. Neither report included a response from the Lions.
The market and the options
Context shapes the dispute. Packers tight end Tucker Kraft recently signed a four-year, $75 million extension with $26.5 million guaranteed at signing, according to Pro Football Rumors. Kraft and LaPorta share an agent, Bechta, and one analyst quoted by the site read the news as a sign the Lions might not pay what LaPorta believes he is worth. George Kittle leads the position at $19.1 million per year in average value.
It is worth noting that the Packers are Detroit’s opponent on October 25. Speculation about a trade or departure is just that, and this guide does not predict one. A Bleacher Nation writer does not expect a trade before the deadline given the Lions’ division race and thin tight end depth. That is an opinion, not a report.
What this means for you: if you are a Lions fan, the practical takeaways are simple. He is under contract this season, the team has the tag as a fallback, and the talks can reopen. If you are a fantasy manager, none of this affects his role right now.
Playing Style and What Makes Him Effective
LaPorta’s value starts with his hands and his routes. Draft evaluators and Detroit’s own coverage keep returning to the same strengths, and his production since supports them.
- Route running: Sports Illustrated said he creates yards underneath and at intermediate depth with crossers, posts and seam routes, using smooth footwork at the top of routes.
- Versatility: he is a prototypical in-line tight end who has also lined up flexed out and as an H-back, per SI, which lets Detroit move him around the formation.
- Yards after the catch: he runs physically and forces defenders to bring their weight to tackle him.
- Football IQ: he finds soft spots in zone coverage and times his turn to look for the ball.
- Red-zone usefulness: his 10 rookie touchdowns led all NFL tight ends, and three of his five games in 2026 have included a touchdown.
Blocking remains part of the job. Evaluators called him a solid blocker against defensive backs and linebackers and less effective against defensive linemen. This guide does not rate his blocking beyond those scouting descriptions, since the sources reviewed do not offer a current grade.
What could limit him? The same SI profile said he labors off the line and does not have fast-twitch acceleration. Defenders with quick feet can sometimes mirror him. Over a season, that has not stopped his production.
Sam LaPorta’s Career Stats
| Season | Games | Starts | Receptions | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
| 2023 | 17 | 14 | 86 | 889 | 10.3 | 48 | 10 |
| 2024 | 16 | 16 | 60 | 726 | 12.1 | 52 | 7 |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 40 | 489 | 12.2 | 40 | 3 |
| 2026 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 316 | 11.7 | 38 | 3 |
| Career | 47 | 44 | 213 | 2,420 | 11.4 | 52 | 23 |
Stats are regular-season totals through October 22, 2026, from the Lions and NFL.com. He also has one rushing attempt for four yards in 2023.
Look at the yards per catch. It was 10.3 as a rookie and has been above 11 in every season since, which suggests Detroit has used him more downfield. And his 2026 reception pace is the highest since his rookie year.
Where to Follow Live Stats and News
Numbers will move after every game. These are the places to check:
- Detroit Lions: the official player profile and career stats page.
- NFL.com: his player profile and career stats.
- ESPN: his profile and 2026 game log.
- Pro Football Reference: his career page, best cross-checked against official sources.
- Contract coverage: Reuters and the Detroit Free Press.
- Fantasy and projections: RotoWire, CBS Sports and FantasyData.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sam LaPorta
1. What team does Sam LaPorta play for?
He plays tight end for the Detroit Lions and wears No. 87. He has been with Detroit his entire NFL career, since 2023.
2. What college did Sam LaPorta attend?
He played at the University of Iowa from 2019 through 2022. He caught 153 passes for 1,786 yards and five touchdowns and was named the Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2022.
3. When was Sam LaPorta drafted?
Detroit selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, with the 34th overall pick.
4. How old is Sam LaPorta?
He is 25. He was born on January 12, 2001, in Highland, Illinois.
5. What records did Sam LaPorta set as a rookie?
He set the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end with 86, and Lions franchise records for a tight end in receptions, yards and touchdowns in a season. Brock Bowers later passed the league record in 2024.
6. What awards has Sam LaPorta won?
He made the 2023 Pro Bowl, was a 2023 second-team AP All-Pro and a PFWA All-Rookie selection, and won Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week twice.
7. What injury did Sam LaPorta have in 2025?
He hurt his back in Week 10 at Washington and had surgery in November. Reports describe a herniated disc. The injury ended his season, and the Lions say he returned to full practice at the start of 2026 training camp.
8. Is Sam LaPorta playing in 2026?
Yes. He has played in all five of Detroit’s games so far. The Lions have a Week 6 bye, and the next game is October 25 against Green Bay. Check the official injury report for current availability.
9. How many touchdowns does Sam LaPorta have in 2026?
Three, through five games, along with 27 receptions and 316 yards. He scored in Weeks 2, 4 and 5.
10. What is Sam LaPorta’s contract status?
He is in the final year of a four-year, $9.47 million rookie contract. Extension talks stalled in early October, and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 unless a deal is reached or Detroit uses a tag.
11. Has Sam LaPorta asked for a trade?
No report reviewed for this guide says that. He has said he is frustrated with the lack of a new deal and that he would look for pay elsewhere if the Lions do not keep him, but those are comments, not a trade request.
12. What does a tight end do?
A tight end blocks like an offensive lineman on some plays and runs routes and catches passes like a receiver on others. LaPorta is mostly known for the catching side.
13. Where can I find Sam LaPorta’s latest stats?
Use the Lions’ player page, NFL.com or ESPN’s game log, linked in the section above. Pro Football Reference works as a cross-check.
14. When do the Lions play next?
Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Ford Field against the Green Bay Packers, on FOX.
Final Thoughts
Sam LaPorta is among the most important players on Detroit’s offense, a tight end who broke a rookie record, lost parts of two seasons to injuries, and has returned with some of his strongest numbers. The Lions’ passing game is better with him on the field.
The open question is the contract. For now, he is under contract and playing well. Readers who want to stay current should follow the Lions, NFL.com and the beat reporters, and check the injury report before each game.
Sources Consulted
Official team, league and college
- Detroit Lions, Sam LaPorta player profile
- Detroit Lions, Sam LaPorta career stats
- Detroit Lions, Camp notes: LaPorta full go at practice
- Detroit Lions, Notebook: LaPorta leaves game with knee injury
- Detroit Lions, 5 players who impressed through first five weeks
- NFL.com, Sam LaPorta profile
- NFL.com, Sam LaPorta career stats
- Iowa Hawkeyes, Sam LaPorta roster profile
Reporting, analysis and statistics
- Pro Football Reference, Sam LaPorta
- Wikipedia, Sam LaPorta
- CBS Sports, Sam LaPorta player news
- RotoWire, Sam LaPorta
- StatMuse, Sam LaPorta game stats
- FantasyData, Sam LaPorta
- Pro Football Rumors, Lions, Sam LaPorta break off negotiations
- Yahoo Sports, Lions and Sam LaPorta cut extension talks
- Bleacher Report, LaPorta sounds off on lack of new contract
- Bleacher Nation, LaPorta’s frustration over stalled extension talks
- Associated Press via Bozeman Daily Chronicle, LaPorta injures hip
- FantasyNerds, LaPorta’s hip injury
- Sports Illustrated, NFL draft profile
- Pride of Detroit, 2023 scouting report
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