https://x.com/rapsheet/status/2106709587038453816?s=61&t=MqtoWPJ7FxO-QDg250E6Ag
Current state of Detroit sports in regards to contract negotiations:
In all seriousness, Iām not too worried about this. Lots of time left for an extension, and his agent is leaking this to drive up the price.
At least this isnāt the dumpster fire organization that the Red Wings are right now!
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If we have to play moneyball with a certain position then TE is it for me.
I love Laporta but itās a lot easier to find a productive TE than it is a lot of other positions IMO.
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I love Sam, but if heās the one we donāt resign it wonāt break my heart. Isaac will become more important to the offense.
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There is a real chance we tag LaPorta this offseason.
Been a hot minute since we used the Franchise Tag i think
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Disagree on alot of levels. LaPorta as a blocker alone does so much. There was a reason our running attack went into the shitter last year when he went out, and say nothing about how much he opens up the middle of the field as a receiving weapon
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Ye, Article states that talks will pick up again in the offseason, so i view this as a nothing burger mainly, I think we keep him, would be actually insane not to.
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The strategy is just draft the next eligible TE from Iowa
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I donāt have an issue with it, contract talks during the season can become a distraction. If something was close, sure finish out the negotiations. If things arenāt close, then worry about business after the season. Both Laporta and Lions have more time to make the best business decision for both parties.
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Laporta likely wants 20+ million per yearā¦ Love him, but TE is one of the easier positions to fill IMO.
Rather spend the money on CB1
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In the whole rebuild effort, we havenāt moved on from any of āour guysā yet. This is strange territory.
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The elephant in the negotiating room is La Portiaās long-term health. I donāt blame the agent for stirring the pot and wanting to get this done right now. Another five or six games of proof might get him what heās asking for. Or possibly in the agentās mind, heāll need more then. Stay tuned.
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Contract talks were becoming a distraction. āLetās just get back to this on (insert date).ā Both sides agree, shake hands. No matter the date, LaPortaās #1 job will be to be as productive as possible to insure he gets a great 2nd contract, whether here or somewhere else. Iām sure neither side wants the tag but I know it has been discussed by both sides.
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I personally think its Agent Speak rn. LaPorta is one of the better TEās in the league easily and will be big on the FA Market (what Agents should be doing). Lions likely are cautious cause of injury history with him. I think deal does get done, but its basically the Agent doing Agent things
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LaPorta is for sure a health risk.
After the Joseph debacle and now Branch I think the Lions have to be more careful.
With LaPorta I am betting it is an issue over guaranteed money. I would bet we are close on value it is how much are we truly committing.
And honestly dude just had back surgery? Definitely back issues of some sort which can u ravel quickly.
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Agreed.
McBride and Kraft just signed and are both ~ $19 million AAV.
I donāt think the Lions should top that number.
Franchise tag is expected to be ~ $17.5 million for 2027.
Iād have no problem waiting a year to make sure he can stay healthy.
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LaPorta isnāt the same player post back injury! His run blocking is terrible as well. Iām curious if Holmes will trade him.
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Neither would I, though an in-season deal a few more games down the road is a real possibility, IMO. Did they break off talks or pause talks? The Lions arenāt Pittsburgh. Talks are paused while the agent does a hissy fit dance and Brad yawns.
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I hate for this to have to happen, and I hope it doesnāt.
However I agree with @The_Kid, we have what I hope is an emerging receiving TE in Meeks, if he keeps moving in the right direction, we can draft a stud blocking TE in the later rounds of the draft. Not that itās going to be easy to replace LaPorta, he is in a unique class, he can catch, run, and block! I see Meeks being able to catch and run.
Unfortunately we canāt pay them all, comp picks are going to become more common for us as our cap continues to tighten.
If you had to place the order of importance to a top producing NFL offense, where do you place TE?
QB #1
OL #2
WR #3
RB #4
TE #5
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