He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft, and has also played for the New England Patriots, where he was a member of the Super Bowl XLIX winning team, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Oakland Raiders.

LaFell attended Lamar High School in Houston, where he played football, basketball, and ran track.

As a junior, LaFell emerged as one of the top receivers in the country, as he caught 63 passes for 929 yards and eight touchdowns.

[7] Despite not starting over Steve Smith and David Gettis, he gradually gained playing time, eventually taking the #3 slot at receiver.

He recorded his first NFL touchdown in Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams, a 17-yard pass from Matt Moore.

LaFell set a Carolina Panthers franchise record on Christmas Eve in 2011 with a 91-yard touchdown catch from rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

[8] Against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, LaFell recorded a career-high eleven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.

In Super Bowl XLIX, LaFell had 4 catches for 29 yards and the first touchdown of the game as the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24.

[10][11] LaFell struggled throughout the 2015 season with multiple drops and failed to live up to his career performance the previous year.

[20] He played in six games, recording 12 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns, before suffering a torn Achilles in Week 11.