At some point in the near future, perhaps the very near future, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to have to plan for life without Travis Kelce. Fourteen years of having a legendary tight end available to you—technically, it's 13 seasons since he missed his rookie season due to injury—is quite the luxury. But if Kelce is on his farewell tour, the need at tight end will be glaring next spring.
It's with that in mind that recent comments from Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta sound rather interesting. The player and franchise have both expressed an interest in a long-term relationship, but extension negotiations have stalled, leaving LaPorta playing out his rookie deal with no real security for his future.
Sam LaPorta sounds open to leaving Detroit
LaPorta recently appeared on Pardon My Take, a popular podcast with the Barstool Sports family, and spoke at length about several interesting topics for Lions fans. But for our purposes, it's his commentary on the emotional turmoil of not having a lucrative second contract with the team that's most interesting.
"...it's disappointing that you go out there every week and you bear the risk of getting hurt. You know, like last year, whatever it was, week nine, week 10, you know, I break my f---ing back for the team, and then I'm going out there this year, and I'm balling, and maybe they're just not showing the love," LaPorta said.
"So it sucks. I'm going to continue to be a pro. And I dish a lot of that to my agent, and he handles that great. And in three months, if I don't get to wear the Honolulu blue and play for the Lions anymore, it's going to be all good. I'll go get paid somewhere else. So whatever," LaPorta added.
Given that LaPorta already has 27 catches for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns this season, he's well on his way to earning big-time money from some team. Until now, LaPorta has largely played it cool with any public-facing remarks regarding his contractual status. But things seem to be boiling over. If he's already referencing the possibility of playing for another team in October, it's fair to wonder just how far apart the two sides remain.
What Sam LaPorta would cost in free agency
LaPorta, who is still just 25 years old, is expected to be the best tight end available in next year's FA class. A back injury in '25, which LaPorta mentions above, is the lone strike against the only tight end who will be seen as a top-tier addition for teams shopping at the position.
Every other solid option at tight end on the open market will come with greater questions, either due to being several years older or having sustained injuries. T.J. Hockenson will be 30 years old. Colby Parkinson is the Isaiah Likely-esque value play, but that comes with the risk of inexperience. Then come vets like Dallas Goedert or Evan Engram.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has a tendency of giving himself as much draft flexibility as possible, so it feels very unlikely that he wouldn't at least have a reasonable level of talent in the fold before the '27 draft. That means that making a move or two in free agency, should Kelce leave, would be congruent with the team's history of signings.
Spotrac has LaPorta's market value at $15 million per season, with a three-year, $45M projected contract. That's just one guess, but it's the same deal that Las Vegas gave Michael Mayer to stick around for Brock Bowers' prime seasons. It would make sense for LaPorta to top that mark. Tucker Kraft just signed for $18.75 million per year from the Green Bay Packers. Perhaps something just below that range—around Kyle Pitts' $17M+ deal—would make sense.
The Chiefs re-signed Kelce to a $12 million deal to return for the 2026 season after he wrapped a two-year deal worth $34M in 2024 and 2025. In short, they've already earmarked that level for tight end for the last several years while employing the best to ever play the position. Choosing to pay LaPorta in that ballpark wouldn't faze the Chiefs' front office, at least in terms of spending emphasis.
A long way from any answers
The truth is that no one even knows if Kelce will call it quits or not after this season. He's playing inspired football this year, and he cited his competitive drive as a reason for his return in '26. If the Chiefs are back to their winning ways, it would make sense that both the team and player would leave the door open for a postseason evaluation for as long as Kelce remained interested and effective.
At the same time, the Lions' long-term cupboards are absolutely barren at the position without LaPorta. If he left in free agency, they'd be a good bet to either sign one of the aforementioned options in free agency or to invest a significant pick in the '27 draft at the position. Since they've already made such a sizable second-round investment, what makes the most sense is for both sides to kiss and make up and find a way to stay together for the next few years. It's also possible that Detroit decides to use a $17 million or so franchise tag to keep him around whether LaPorta likes it or not.
As for what the Chiefs can count on, Noah Gray will be a free agent next spring as well, which will create some real questions atop the depth chart. The Chiefs have former fourth-round pick Jared Wiley around for another season, but he's been inactive all year. That leaves second-year tight end Jake Briningstool as the most promising young player at the position—a player who returned from a rookie season lost to injury in '25 to claim the TE3 role so far this year.
Chiefs Kingdom can pencil LaPorta's name in as an ideal solution if Kelce walks away from the game. For now, however, the Chiefs can only watch and wait as Detroit decides whether to let its own franchise tight end become someone else's answer.
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