Having completed OTA’s, it won’t be long before the Detroit Lions gather at their Allen Park Training Facility for the beginning of Training Camp in preparation for the upcoming campaign; camp will officially get underway in late July.
For tight end Sam LaPorta, he’ll be looking to come back strong from a back injury that derailed last season for him.
But in the meantime, there has been a life-changing announcement from LaPorta and his wife – and the news is of the good variety.
Detroit Lions Tight end Sam LaPorta And His Wife Are Expecting Their First Child
LaPorta’s wife, Callahan Dellinger LaPorta, wrote on Instagram that the couple is expecting their first child together.
Instantly, the feed became chock-full of congratulatory messages and well-wishes.
“So happy for you both!! Also couldn’t be happier that you included baking in your announcement!! ❤️🙌👏😂 You’ll be awesome parents!” wrote one user.
“Can’t wait to squeeze this babe!! Yall are going to make such wonderful parent’s! 🫶” wrote another user.
“ohhhhh stawwpppp ittt!!!!! made my day☺️ congratulations Laporta’s💓” responded another user.
LaPorta, a native of Highland, Illinois, attended college at Iowa and was eventually named the Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2022. Selected by the Lions in the second round (34th overall pick) in the 2023 NFL Draft, LaPorta would eventually be named a second-team All-Pro while also earning a Pro Bowl berth.
Eventually, he would also set franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end for the Lions.
He was limited to just nine games last season because of a back injury, a setback that he would later describe as “unfortunate”.
“It was really unfortunate,” LaPorta said during Detroit’s locker-room cleanout day earlier this year. “I was trying to look at the best possible outlook, and I was hoping to get back in that two-to-three-week range. 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. 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.”
In the nine games he appeared in, LaPorta racked up 489 yards while hauling in 40 receptions with three touchdowns.
Will Sam LaPorta Remain With The Lions?
It wasn’t long ago that LaPorta was listed as a potential trade candidate by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay for general manager Brad Holmes to send to the Kansas City Chiefs and serve as another weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“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,” Kay wrote. “LaPorta is gearing up for the final year of his rookie deal, one set to pay him a modest $5.8 million in 2026. Despite his immense contributions when healthy, the Lions have yet to reach a long-term extension with the tight end.”
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