Panthers Should Usurp Chiefs in Hypothetical Trade for Lions Superstar Sam LaPorta

If there's a world in which Sam LaPorta gets dealt, the Panthers need to be all over it.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) makes a catch against Minnesota Vikings | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's no secret that the Carolina Panthers need a tight end. Everyone in the world, perhaps except the team itself, knows that there has been a glaring hole at that position since Greg Olsen left over half a decade ago.

The ship has sailed on free agency (even with Jonnu Smith left rotting on the vine) and the draft (where the Panthers passed on a couple of intriguing TE prospects). But there's still an avenue for upgrades: the trade market.

The trade market got hot earlier this week with Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown being dealt. In the spirit of that, Bleacher Report analyst Alex Kay proposed five purely hypothetical, league-altering deals. Among them was a deal for Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.

If there's a shred of possibility that the superstar tight end is available at this cost (or even higher), the Panthers should be all over it.

Sam LaPorta's ridiculous proposed trade cost should be of no concern to Panthers

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) runs against Kansas City Chiefs during the first half | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It is hard to express how dire the Panthers' tight end situation has been. Greg Olsen was the last tight end to eclipse 500 receiving yards, and he did that in 2019. It's been a black hole since. While the Dave Canales offense doesn't utilize the position, that could be because he's never had a good one.

Bleacher Report's Alex Kay pitched a hypothetical crazy trade in which the Detroit Lions send Sam LaPorta to the Kansas City Chiefs as an unfair successor to Travis Kelce, who has but a few years left.

As cool as that would be, it would be cooler if the Panthers had even one tight end instead of the Chiefs having two. So if this trade cost, which is first and third-round picks in 2027, is of interest to the Lions, the Panthers need to jump all over it.

Kay wrote, "Sam LaPorta may have lit the league on fire during a scintillating 86-catch, 889-yard, 10-touchdown rookie season a mere three years ago, but even he isn't safe from being traded."

"The biggest issue surrounding LaPorta right now is health. Although he appeared in every game during his breakout rookie season and only missed one game during his somewhat underwhelming sophomore outing, LaPorta was sidelined for nearly half of 2025 with a back injury," Kay continued.

Lions tight end Sam LaPorta makes a catch for a touchdown against the Panthers | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Panthers (or Chiefs in Kay's specific example) could take advantage of those injury risks and trade for LaPorta. The tight end is currently viewed as a risk for a long-term extension because he's suffered some major injuries already.

That could be a tough but shrewd move the Lions need to make, and the Panthers should be more than happy to oblige. Other than Olsen, LaPorta would probably be the best tight end in franchise history, and he would shore up one of the biggest positional holes any NFL team has.