Detroit Lions star tight end Sam LaPorta is now tackling contract negotiations with a new kind of leverage. He is on diaper duty! Yes, he is playing the final year of his rookie contract and the All-Pro has let it known that his push for a lucrative long-term extension is not just about resetting the market but also about family. With his wife expecting their first baby girl in just a few months, LaPorta is openly demanding financial stability from the Detroit team to build his future and secure his family. 

In a brutal sport where you can “break your back” and even have CTE, he is making sure his upcoming bundle of joy is fully safe and covered. In an X post by Dov Kleiman, the caption read, “Heartbreaking: Lions TE Sam LaPorta says that he needs a new contract extension for 'stability' as his wife is having a baby in a couple of months. Sam has only made $13.2 million so far in his career.LaPorta deserves to be paid fairly .”

While speaking to the news, LaPorta said, “Like it’s an important thing for us, we want to have stability. Like we’re excited in the coming months, like we’re going to have our first kid, me and my wife. We’re gonna welcome our baby girl into the world in Metro Detroit. We want to be here with the Lions, and I guess I am 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.”

Sam LaPorta also gave an ultimatum to protect his family.

The Lions tight end said this week that if he does not get a new contract from the Lions, he'll go get paid somewhere else. He spoke to the media to clarify that this “somewhere else” will not be his first choice. 

"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, I guess — my intentions are I want to play for this team," LaPorta said. "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 be compensated." 

He has not been happy with the offers the Lions have given him on a long-term extension. However, he said that he and his pregnant wife are still hoping to stay in Detroit for years to come. He is in the 4th and final year of his rookie contract, and his base salary this year is $5.675 million. He knows that he is lucky to make the money that he is already making, but his contract is still a far cry from what the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL are receiving. 

Written by

Tanushree Bhowmick

Edited by

Tanushree Bhowmick