Will the Detroit Lions trade Golden Tate before the deadline?
According to reports, the Detroit Lions are fielding offers for wide receiver Golden Tate. But with the season hanging in the balance, should they make this move?
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate knew this was going to be a big season for him. The 30-year old receiver is scheduled to become a free agent in 2019 and this is likely his final opportunity to secure one last major contract in his stellar NFL career.
But the Lions have yet to sign Tate to an extension. And according to reports, Detroit is fielding calls for the veteran’s services with the NFL trade deadline approaching this Tuesday. The asking price is apparently a future fourth rounder or higher. If the Lions opt to keep Tate and lose him to free agency next offseason, they could receive as high as a third round compensatory pick from the league in 2020.
Tate has been one of the most consistent playmakers in franchise history. Since joining the Lions in 2014, he’s posted 90+ receptions every year and three 1,000+ receiving yard seasons. But the emergence of fellow wide receivers Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay certainly seems to have made Tate expendable.
Still, the eighth-year veteran currently leads the Lions in receiving through seven games, racking up 44 catches on 65 targets for 517 yards and three touchdowns. The next closest receiver is Golladay with 30 receptions on 44 targets for 477 yards and three scores. Jones is third with 26 catches on 47 targets for 387 yards and five touchdowns.
If the Lions opt to trade Tate, fourth-year wideout T.J. Jones would likely take his place in the slot. Although the team also has rookie Brandon Powell who impressed onlookers in the preseason.
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Still, getting rid of quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s top target midseason seems like it could damage the chemistry of a offense that is currently trying to climb out of the basement in the NFC North.
In the loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Golden Tate recorded seven catches for 50 yards. His best performance of the season came in Week Four, posting eight receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. In other words, Tate is still producing at a high level.