The Detroit Lions have generally gotten contract extension business done quickly, before someone is heading into the final year of their current deal. With Week 1 here that is set to change with both tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch, the last members of a loaded 2023 draft class who are set to get paid.
General manager Brad Holmes, as expected, has expressed intent to get new deals done for both guys. But that will be a challenge, as LaPorta and Branch could land among the top five highest-paid players at their position to add to a laundry list of Lions in that tier among their peers. A line may have to be drawn somewhere.
In LaPorta's case, he could reset the top of a tight end market that has lagged behind other positions. It may only be a question of timing, with the Green Bay Packers also poised to pay Tucker Kraft at some point soon.
LaPorta's camp may be waiting for Kraft's deal to be done, in deference to Holmes mentioning "a couple factors to sort through" when it came to new deals for he and Branch. As much as the Lions rightly want to be proactive and set some sort of financial bar, like they have with many contract extensions, it takes two to tango.
New note about Sam LaPorta extension talks is nothing to be worried about
At this point, it's clear contract extension talks for LaPorta and Branch will carry into the season. Branch's Achilles tear late last season naturally creates that timing for him, but by all accounts LaPorta's back injury from last season is behind him.
Heading into Week 1, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted how tight end is the only offensive or defensive position that doesn't have a player making $20-plus million per year right now. LaPorta and/or Kraft are poised to change that soon.
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"It's the only offensive or defensive position without a player making $20 million or more per season, but the Packers' Tucker Kraft is hoping to change that. He remains in discussions about a new contract, but it has been a bit of a standoff so far. Green Bay hopes to get something done by the end of Week 1, so perhaps urgency prevails here. If Kraft can get a deal above that $20 million threshold, that sets the stage for Detroit's Sam LaPorta. The Lions have interest in extending him, but his situation might carry into the season."
When everything is pretty much otherwise equal for players at the same position, the Lions surely loath waiting for another team to take care of contract business before taking care of theirs. That said, the idea of a new deal for LaPorta coming during the season has become the expectation.
And on that note, with no indication contract talks will stop when the season starts, Fowler suggesting LaPorta's situation will carry into the season is not a huge concern.
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