Sam LaPorta Injury: Lions Tight End Likely Done for the Season After Surgery

The Lions will be without their top tight end as they enter the stretch run to the postseason.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta’s 2025 season is likely over. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Lions will be without one of their top offensive weapons as the NFL season hits the homestretch.

On Friday, coach Dan Campbell told reporters that tight end Sam LaPorta had surgery on his back, and that his chances for a return this year were “very, very slim.”

The news comes just a week after LaPorta was moved to the IR due to his back injury. The IR move made it so that he would have to miss at least four games before his return, but with this latest update from Campbell, it sounds like his absence is due to go far beyond that timeframe.

LaPorta is one of the top tight ends in all of football, and was averaging 54.3 yards per game for the Lions through the first nine games of the season.

With LaPorta out, expect backup tight end Brock Wright to be asked to carry a more significant load in the passing game. Detroit’s third and fourth receivers Kalif Raymond and Isaac TeSlaa may also see their roles expand in the coming weeks.

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