One of the Detroit Lions' remaining offseason objectives is to decide where tight end Sam LaPorta fits in their future. The Lions would probably love to keep LaPorta long term, but he's due for an extension that the money-tight Lions may struggle to afford amid other extensions.
Enter the New England Patriots, who are on the hunt for a TE after Julian Hill's season-ending injury suffered during OTAs last week. Meanwhile, starting TE Hunter Henry will turn 32 this upcoming season and is entering the last year of his deal.
Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the TE position, saying that it's "probably somewhere where we would have to address.”
LaPorta to the Patriots isn't an entirely new concept, with Sara Marshall of Musket Fire calling a hypothetical LaPorta acquisition a "no-brainer" even before Hill's injury. So far, much of the LaPorta speculation tends to surround him going to the Kansas City Chiefs, if anywhere, for numerous draft picks, including a first-rounder.
Regardless of where, it takes two to tango. As of late last month, ESPN's Adam Schefter said on "The Pat McAfee Show" that the Lions are still looking to get a deal done with LaPorta, along with running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
LaPorta was on track for another Pro Bowl season before a back injury ended his season. That back injury may be a cause for concern, but LaPorta has seen limited practice during OTAs, which is an encouraging sign. If the Lions share that encouragement, keeping him is an inevitability.
If the Lions keep LaPorta, then Brock Wright would make sense for the Patriots-- assuming the Lions are even willing to entertain a trade in general. Hill was meant to be the Patriots' blocking TE, which aligns with how the Lions play Wright. On top of that, UDFA rookie Miles Kitselman has drawn comparisons to current head coach and former blocking TE, Dan Campbell, which means their Wright replacement could already be on the roster.
General manager Brad Holmes loves his draft picks and could find a late-round pick or a few for Wright appealing, as the Patriots currently have four sixth-round picks in 2027. The little money saved from Wright's 2024 extension could help with LaPorta's extension, keeping the young TE in Detroit.
CB Christian Gonzalez is looking for his own contract extension
To bring this back to LaPorta, and to insert a bit of wishful thinking into his trade speculation, the Patriots have their own looming extension they need to address: cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Like LaPorta, Gonzalez is a 2023 draft pick who has one Pro Bowl and one Second-Team All-Pro to his name. Gonzalez is currently "holding in" at mini-camp as he awaits his new deal.
Gonzalez was the player many NFL analysts back in 2023 believed the Lions should've taken after their trade-back instead of Gibbs. To be fair, the Lions really could've used Gonzalez in recent years with their struggles to find stability at the CB position, but Gibbs was well worth the pick in hindsight.
A LaPorta for Gonzalez trade would not be a straight-up one. CBs are a more premium position, where top-of-the-market CBs can make over $10 million more a year than top-of-the-market TEs. Expect a similar gap with Gonzalez and LaPorta's upcoming deals. If the Lions could handle spending that kind of money, they would've already extended LaPorta.
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It would take various draft picks and players, like possibly CB Terrion Arnold, to get such a deal across the finish line. It's tough to see the Lions doing that as opposed to seeing how Arnold develops in year three alongside a healthier D.J. Reed, but adding a CB of Gonzalez's caliber would be an amazing boon for the Lions' defense and the type of aggressive move many Lions fans would love to see.
Again, a LaPorta-Gonzalez deal is more wishful thinking than realistic. Holmes would be more likely to opt for a heavy draft-pick return for LaPorta or the simpler Wright trade as opposed to a player that's due for a more expensive extension. And that's assuming a LaPorta extension becomes unfeasible for one reason or another.
Still, the Patriots have a sudden need, and the Lions have just what they're looking for, whether it's LaPorta or Wright. As the Lions try to sort out LaPorta's future and build their own Super Bowl-contending team, it'll be worth keeping an eye on the Patriots as a potential mutually beneficial trade partner going forward.
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