Sam LaPorta: Lions Taking Everything 'Really Serious'

Sam LaPorta is far from content going into 2024 season.

Sam LaPorta / Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK

In case you spent all of last year living under a rock, you’re certainly aware of the fact that Lions tight end Sam LaPorta had a record-breaking rookie campaign. 

LaPorta, the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, caught the most passes by a rookie tight end in league history (86), plus became just the third rookie at the aforementioned position to produce at least 10 receiving touchdowns. And, in addition to all that, he recorded 889 receiving yards, the fifth-highest total by a tight end in 2023. 

All the while, the Iowa product formed a terrific rapport with Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff, and played an integral role in the Lions’ run to the NFC Championship Game. 

It was a long, productive first year in the league for LaPorta, and at season’s end, he did have a chance to sit back and “smell the roses.” 

“My fiancée and I were sitting on the beach in San Diego, hanging out, and we were just going over the season and how long it was, what it takes emotionally from both individuals, our families, the people that help us and support us,” the former Hawkeyes tight end said at OTAs Thursday. “So, we definitely stopped and smelled the roses a little bit. But, it’s time to get back to work.”

As much as LaPorta found it rewarding to reflect on his accomplishments of the past season, he is far from content. He knows he still has something to prove headed into his second season as a pro. 

“Everybody has something to prove this year,” the second-year tight end expressed. “You see guys around the building like Jared (Goff), he’s going into year eight or nine, maybe 10 even. I don’t know. He’s been around the block a gazillion times, and you still see him with a chip on his shoulder. So, (whether you’re) a rookie, a veteran, it doesn’t really matter. We’re all just working hard, trying to add a little value.” 

LaPorta considers himself lucky to be able to go to Goff for advice, along with several other savvy vets on the team, such as offensive lineman Taylor Decker and fourth-year pros Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell. 

In his short time with the Lions, LaPorta has gained valuable lessons from these individuals, including how to remain productive. 

“Rely on each other. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but know that you have to have a certain sense of urgency to get better a little bit every day,” LaPorta said, as he reflected on what he’s gleaned from Goff and others. “And, this is the type of stuff that transitions into training camp and the preseason and then the games that actually matter. You may see guys running around here without pads on and our helmets, but it’s another work day for us and it’s one more banked rep. You see us getting it after practice. You see us doing it in individuals, in groups and then in the team setting. So, we just take everything really serious and know that it’s going to translate at some point.”

LaPorta, along with his Lions teammates, endured the excruciating feeling of falling one game short of reaching the Super Bowl a season ago.  

In Detroit’s NFC Championship Game tilt with the San Francisco 49ers, it blew a 24-7 halftime lead and failed to recover. It fell to the 49ers, 34-31, in easily one of the most devastating losses in Lions franchise history. 

After that loss, a variety of Lions players came out and said they couldn’t bear to watch the 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. LaPorta wasn’t one of those players, though.

“I did watch the Super Bowl. It was frustrating to be sitting on my couch (and) watching it, knowing that we had the chance and the opportunity to cease and we just didn’t grab it when it was in front of us,” LaPorta said. “So, like I said, it takes more. We’re going to have to give a little bit more this year, and we’re looking to go all the way this year.”