A lot went wrong for the Detroit Lions during the 2025 NFL season, especially in the second half of the campaign. But one of the biggest factors to the team’s last place finish in the NFC North was losing tight end Sam LaPorta for the final eight games.
Speaking to reporters for the first time in about two months, LaPorta said Monday that the injury he sustained against the Washington Commanders on November 9 was a herniated disc. LaPorta underwent back surgery to repair the ailment.
“It was really unfortunate,” LaPorta said during the team’s locker clean out day. “I was trying to look at the best possible outlook, and I was hoping to get back in that two-to-three-week range.”
But less than a week after suffering the injury in Week 10, the Lions placed LaPorta on injured reserve. The tight end didn’t play again in the 2025 season.
“In the days following the Commanders game, I was just in a lot of pain. I was walking around like an 80-year-old man and it just wasn’t getting any better,” LaPorta added, via Detroitlions.com’s Tim Twentyman. “I felt like surgery was the best route and the team felt that way as well.
“Backs aren’t anything to mess with and I want a long healthy career. So, it was the best route.”
When LaPorta landed on injured reserve, the Lions were 6-3. Without him the rest of the season, the team posted a 3-5 record.
Lions Missed TE Sam LaPorta During 2nd Half of 2025
The record the Lions registered with and without LaPorta in 2025 might be a little misleading. With the tight end in the lineup, the Lions faced most of the AFC North in September and October.
LaPorta played a role in those contests, all of which were Detroit wins. But each of those teams finished with a below .500 record.
The Lions schedule got a lot harder after the tight end’s injury. They faced five playoff teams without LaPorta, and the Lions won only one of those games.
Still, quarterback Jared Goff could have used his All-Pro tight end against the tougher opponents. LaPorta posted 40 catches, 489 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the first nine contests this past season.
From a per game perspective, LaPorta had more receiving yards per game (54.3) in 2025 than he did in 2023 when he made second-team All-Pro. His 12.2 yards per catch was also a career high.
Without LaPorta, the Lions tight ends combined for 117 receiving yards in the final eight games of 2025.
LaPorta Recovery Timeline for 2026
Behind the team’s cautious approach to the back injury, LaPorta should be ready well before the start of the 2026 campaign.
The tight end, who will turn 25 next week, told reporters “he hopes” to be running before offseason workouts begin. LaPorta added he expects to be ready for pads by the beginning of training camp.
He is aiming to return even stronger than before the injury.
“Hopefully an even better player to come in the future, once I rehab and get healthy again,” said LaPorta.
As a rookie in 2023, LaPorta made the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro. In 42 NFL games, he’s registered 186 catches, 2,104 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
The Lions will soon have a decision to make about the tight end’s future. LaPorta will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026.
Lions’ Sam LaPorta Breaks Silence on Season-Ending Injury