Tight end Sam LaPorta was on pace to potentially reach some of the lofty numbers he put up as a record-setting rookie in 2023 before a back injury derailed his 2025 season.
LaPorta said the injury ended up being an accumulation of falls and hits he suffered the weeks prior to the Washington game Week 10, but a disc fully herniated against the Commanders.
There were initial talks of placing him on Reserve/Injured, where he would have missed the next four games but been eligible to return Week 15 vs. the Rams. A couple weeks into rehab, his back wasn't getting any better and surgery was decided as the best course of action so that's the route they took.
"It was really unfortunate," LaPorta said Monday during locker clean out. "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."
LaPorta starts another phase of his rehab on Tuesday and is excited for those mini achievements in the process. He said Monday he hopes to be running by OTAs and expects to be ready to go in pads by the start of training camp.
It's the first major injury LaPorta has suffered in his football career. He's trying to take as many positives as possible out of it and learn from the process.
He ended up catching 40 passes for 489 yards with three touchdowns in nine games this season. He said Monday he was happy with how his overall game was progressing in his third season.
"Hopefully an even better player to come in the future, once I rehab and get healthy again," he said.
LaPorta is entering a critical season in 2026, the final year of his rookie contract.
