Lions Top 10 Injury News of 2025: #4 Sam LaPorta Spinal Disc

A sudden, shocking end to the season for the Lions elite TE

One of the elite tight ends in the NFL had a sudden and shocking end to his 2025 season, meriting a spot at #4 on the Top 10 Injury News of 2025. Here is the timeline and analysis of Sam LaPorta’s herniated disc, along with his his future outlook.

The Injury - Herniated spinal disc

November 9, 2025: This play in Week 10 vs the Commanders was the penultimate of his season…

It’s uncertain how much impact this play had on his injury as LaPorta later revealed that the disc problem was actually an accumulation injury.

For more detailed analysis of the injury diagnosis, see my Sam LaPorta Back Injury Analysis.

There was no indication during the Commanders game that there was any severe injury to be concerned about. In the days after the game, LaPorta was listed with a back injury, which was still not a significant concern as minor back strains are common.

November 15, 2025: In a shocking development, LaPorta was placed on IR before the next game.

November 2025: Herniated disc surgery

2025 Season Summary

LaPorta’s season was cut short at nine games where he finished with 40 receptions for 489 yards and 3 TD’s. Before LaPorta’s back injury, the Lions were 6-3. After the injury to their star TE, the team finished 3-5 and missed the playoffs.

2026 Offseason

The spine injury has had a significant impact on LaPorta’s offseason as he was still limited in early June at 2026 OTA and minicamp. While his offseason limitation is a slight disappointment, he is expected to be ready at some point during training camp.

He did show up in good spirits to Tight End U in late June…

Contract Extension Considerations

The 25-year-old LaPorta is entering the final year of his 4-year rookie contract.

Without the injury, this young, elite TE may have already been signed to a market-leading extension this offseason. As it is, the Lions will very likely want to see LaPorta play at least a few games before considering an extension.

Even if LaPorta proves his health in the short-term, the disc issue creates reliability issues in the long-term. For example, Hall-of-Fame TE Rob Gronkowski needed three spine surgeries for his herniated disc issues and had two NFL seasons cut short.

If the Lions are not comfortable with the reliability risk, they may let LaPorta play out the final year of his deal and give him a 1-year tag in the offseason. This plan would give the Lions two more years of LaPorta with minimal risk and financial commitment.

2026 Outlook

While LaPorta should be ready for the start of the season, setbacks are a distinct possibility with a herniated disc. Once he starts doing contact football activities, will his spine flare up again?

Hyperextension of the back during blocking will aggravate the spine. Thus, the Lions may look to decrease his blocking assignments and subtly shift to more of a receiving role for LaPorta. This role shift certainly won’t be announced publicly for strategic reasons, but watch for it on gamedays.

---

At #5 on the list is the season of pain for Taylor Decker…