The Detroit Lions might not be able to afford tight end Sam LaPorta in NFL free agency next offseason. Pundits have already begun speculating that will be the case with the Lions needing to re-sign a lot of their young stars soon.
But the potential inability to not be able to re-sign LaPorta could give Detroit an opportunity in the 2026 NFL Draft.
That’s what FOX Sports’s Ralph Vacchiano suggested this week. On Wednesday, Vacchiano named LaPorta the one player the Kansas City Chiefs should trade for during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Vacchiano projected LaPorta’s trade value to be a second-round pick. But instead of a second-rounder, the NFL analyst proposed the Lions and Chiefs swap first-rounders in the deal involving LaPorta.
Such a move would move the Lions from No. 17 overall to No. 9 in the first round.
“LaPorta is coming off back surgery, heading into the last year of his contract and may get squeezed out in Detroit, where the Lions have a lot of young players to sign,” wrote Vacchiano. “It would probably cost the Chiefs a second-round pick.
“As an alternative, they could consider a package that involves swapping first-rounders instead.”
Vacchiano also included a Chiefs 2027 conditional fourth-round pick going to Detroit in the hypothetical deal.
LaPorta made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2023 with 86 catches, 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. In 42 career games, LaPorta has posted 186 receptions, 2,104 receiving yards and 20 scores.
Could Lions Really Trade TE Sam LaPorta?
GettyFOX Sports’s Ralph Vacchiano proposed the Detroit Lions trade tight end Sam LaPorta in a first-round draft pick swap with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Vacchiano wasn’t the first to propose the Lions deal LaPorta this offseason. NFL.com’s Eric Edholm presented that scenario at the end of March.
In Edholm’s trade proposal, the Lions landed the No. 7 overall pick from the Washington Commanders. There were other players and draft picks involved in the trade, but those were the two main assets exchanged from each team.
LaPorta is a terrific player, but it’s unlikely he could fetch a top 10 pick on the trade market. A second-rounder or first-round pick swap is far more likely.
Vacchiano’s first-round swap is very intriguing if for nothing else but it’s rarity. NFL teams don’t typically swap first-rounders as he suggested the Lions and Chiefs could do.
But it could make a lot of sense for the Lions. Dealing LaPorta would prevent the Lions from potentially losing the tight end in NFL free agency next spring. It would also place the Lions in a much better position to draft an edge rusher or offensive lineman this year.
Most pundits consider the offensive and defensive lines the biggest needs for the Lions entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
How Would the Lions Replace LaPorta?
GettyFOX Sports’s Ralph Vacchiano proposed the Detroit Lions trade tight end Sam LaPorta in a first-round draft pick swap to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In Edholm’s proposal at the end of March, another asset the Lions landed from the Commanders for LaPorta was tight end Ben Sinnott.
Sinnott is far from the pass-catcher LaPorta is. But at least the Lions received something in return at tight end in that trade proposal.
In Vacchiano’s hypothetical, the Lions fill a hole on the offensive or defensive line with a top 10 pick. But then, they would have a new hole at tight end.
Besides LaPorta, the Lions have four other tight ends on their offseason roster — Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin, Zach Horton and Thomas Gordon. But none of them can be the same pass-catching target as LaPorta.
The 25-year-old tight end had 40 catches, 489 yards and three touchdowns before a back injury ended his 2025 campaign. Without LaPorta, the Lions posted a 3-5 record.
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