Sam LaPorta Shares Why Decision Was Made to Have Back Surgery

The Detroit Lions wrapped up their postseason media availability on Monday, and that gave local reporters a chance to speak with tight end Sam LaPorta.

Unfortunately, LaPorta missed the second half of the season with a back injury, and that was when the season started to derail for Dan Campbell's squad.

The former Hawkeyes tight end was able to give some clarity on the injury, after revealing that he was six weeks post-operation and beginning another stage of rehab on Tuesday. After some bumps and bruises earlier during the season, he herniated a disc in his back against Washington.

“It actually occurred in the Commanders game,” LaPorta revealed. “There were some accumulated falls and hits that I took in the weeks leading up to that game, and then of course, it happened in the Commanders game. I fully herniated the disc.”

LaPorta initially believed his season was not over, but the injury failing to get any better led to the end of his season, His mindset went from a two-to-three-week recovery window to realizing surgery was needed, ending his season with Detroit prematurely.

He tried to remain optimistic, but with his pain failing to go away, along with how early in his career he is, surgery was deemed the path to go. As someone hoping for a long career, the tough choice had to be made, with the team in agreement.

“It was really unfortunate, I was trying to look at the best possible outlook. I was hoping to get back within two-to-three weeks, not even going on IR, and then in the days following the Commanders game, I was just in a lot of pain," the former second-round pick detailed. "I was gimpy, walking around like an 80-year-old man, and it just wasn’t getting any better. I felt like surgery was the best route, the team felt that way as well. Backs aren’t anything to mess with, and I want to have a long, healthy career.”

The 24-year-old was then asked about his availability for organized team activities, which was the timeline given by Campbell. The third-year pro agreed, but did express caution over taking hits with a lot of recovery to still happen.

“Yeah, that is the plan. I start another phase of my rehab tomorrow (Tuesday), which is exciting," LaPorta said. "Hopefully by OTAs (organized team activities), I am up running around, of course, we’ll be in pads in training camp, so it’s a lot different than other sports, just to be able to brace for those hits, and the accumulation of a long NFL season. I really got to get this back right before I am out there running around in pads and taking those hits and such.”

The second half of the season was a unique experience for the Iowa product, as he revealed he had never missed significant time in his athletic career. He was disappointed to be missing out on being with his team.

“In my three years here, I’ve been hurt a few times," the Pro Bowler explained. "In my entire athletic career, though, I’ve never missed a significant amount of time, so I am fortunate for that. God-willing, I have a long healthy career following this injury, but to have only played nine games this season, I was clearly disappointed. It was hard to sit on the couch and watch my teammates play without me, having invested a lot in this season, this team, and this organization. We took some good out of it, and hopefully gonna move forward from here.”

That said, the tight end does not plan on changing his play style. He will remain one tough customer, and the freak accident that ended his 2025 campaign will not be on his mind during the 2026 season.

“It is tough," LaPorta admitted. "You cannot really worry about those things, to be honest. You just have to assume you will make it through the game healthy and you’re going to give your best effort every week when you go out. The freak accidents happen, you train, you prepare, get your body as best as you can for the season, and then some things happen. You just got to live with the results that happen. Unfortunately, that’s the game we play.”

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