Week 4 didn't kick off without drama for the Detroit Lions, as ESPN's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that tight end Sam LaPorta and the team have decided to stop contract talks for this season, allowing him to become a free agent in 2027.
This is obviously, on paper, a big blow to the Lions' long-term planning around him and Brian Branch. Both players are due up for extensions following injuries that could've impacted the Lions' thinking around them being viable future pieces of their roster.
But, at the same time, they both provide some great value at areas of need for the Lions: LaPorta as a gritty offensive weapon, and Branch as one of two of the teams' elite safety tandem that can actually play football again on a specific timeline.
LaPorta and the Lions coming back to the negotiating table isn't out of the question, though, per Rapoport. And, another option that now seems increasingly likely for Detroit to utilize is their franchise tag, which LaPorta is eligible for this coming offseason.
Lions should use franchise tag on LaPorta
The franchise tag would keep LaPorta on board for an additional year on top of the end of his current rookie deal, which gives the Lions another year to figure out a deal with him. It's a tool they need to heavily consider using as they need to figure out how to keep him and Branch on board amid several other deals coming into effect soon.
The only pushback here could be, how will the Lions even figure out how to pay both LaPorta and Branch following this tag? The Lions' cap space is getting tighter each passing year with those several extensions kicking in soon, and that puts them in a tough spot in relation to their decision between him and Branch.
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Zooming out on the Lions' most obvious needs right now, and for the foreseeable future, defense is where they have to invest their current capital. Branch might not be as explosive or athletic as he was before his achilles tear, but he's worth watching throughout this season to see if he can at minimum provide somewhere close to that before deciding against extending him.
LaPorta, on the other hand, is one piece of an explosive Lions offense that runs through multiple other players. Losing him would obviously sting, but their offense is far from at risk of falling apart if he were to walk - you can't say the same about Branch and the Lions' defense.
The tag could buy the Lions another year with LaPorta in the fold, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that Detroit has to invest on the other side of the football.
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