Sam LaPorta Says the Lions Aren't 'Showing the Love,' and Detroit Should Take It Seriously

Lions fans, the polite phase of the Sam LaPorta contract talks is over.

UPDATE (Friday, Oct. 23): Dan Campbell took the questions head-on Friday, then ended his press conference when they kept coming. "I know Sam. We all know Sam," Campbell said. "Honestly, I don't even think twice about those comments because I know what he's about. And we're all good here." He called it a distraction for the outside world, not the locker room, and said LaPorta has been "locked in" all week ahead of Sunday at Green Bay. Asked whether LaPorta regretted anything he said, Campbell walked off: "I'm not answering anything. I've answered this I don't know how many times. I said I didn't want it to be a distraction, and now it's becoming one because you keep asking these things" (via MLive, ESPN).

On Barstool's "Pardon My Take" podcast, which aired Wednesday, LaPorta said Detroit is "maybe just not showing the love" as he plays out the final year of his rookie deal, according to ESPN. He pointed to last season, when he played through and then lost the year to a herniated disc that needed surgery and cost him eight games, essentially saying he broke his back for this team. Then he went further: if he isn't wearing Honolulu blue in a few months, he said, "I'll go get paid somewhere else."

That is a sharp turn from earlier this month, when he called the talks a "stalemate" after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Oct. 4 that the sides had tabled negotiations. LaPorta is set to reach free agency in 2027.

The market isn't a mystery. The Detroit News notes four tight ends from his own 2023 class have already been extended: Tucker Kraft (four years, $75 million), Michael Mayer (three years, $45 million), Brenton Strange (three years, $36 million) and Darnell Washington (four years, $42 million). GM Brad Holmes has said more than once he wants to keep LaPorta and safety Brian Branch.

Update, Friday: Dan Campbell spent part of his Friday news conference on the LaPorta comments and insisted they aren't a problem inside the building. He said everyone knows who LaPorta is, called him "locked in" all week, and said the story is a distraction for the outside world, not the team, two days before Green Bay. When the questions kept coming, Campbell had enough. He said he had answered it more times than he could count and that it was only becoming a distraction because reporters kept asking, then ended the session and walked off.

Our Take: LaPorta has earned the frustration. He has 27 catches, 316 yards and three touchdowns through five games and still leads his draft class's tight ends in receiving yards. Holmes is right to protect the cap, but letting a Pro Bowl tight end air it out on a national podcast is how a negotiation turns into a goodbye.

What to watch: whether the Lions answer with an offer before the trade deadline noise starts, and whether this follows LaPorta onto the field Sunday against Green Bay.

Sources: Sports Illustrated, The Big Lead, ESPN, The Detroit News via Yahoo Sports