Detroit Lions Trade Golden Tate To The Philadelphia Eagles
The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have shored up their receiving corps by acquiring former Pro-Bowl possession wideout Golden Tate in a pre-trade deadline deal with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday, October 30.
NFL Network reports that Tate was personally responsible for breaking the news with a 1:45 p.m. ET tweet that read, “It’s been real DETROIT! I’ll love ya forever. Philly Philly let’s get it!!” The announcement came within the span of a couple of hours that saw the Denver Broncos send veteran Demaryius Thomas off to the Houston Texans, the Green Bay Packers trade Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Redskins, and the Los Angeles Rams collect pass rusher Dante Fowler from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Philadelphia will reportedly send Detroit a 2019 third-round pick as part of an agreement that gives the Lions an advance on a compensatory pick they would have netted had Tate left to test the free agency market after the season. Detroit suspected that Tate’s eventual departure would be a foregone conclusion given they likely wouldn’t have been able to pay him enough with Marvin Jones already contracted for another two years, and the physically gifted Kenny Golladay emerging as the team’s pass catcher of the future.
It’s been real DETROIT! I’ll love ya forever. Philly Philly let’s get it!!
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) October 30, 2018
“For more than four years Golden displayed an unwavering commitment to not only his coaches and teammates, but also the City of Detroit,” Lions general manager Bog Quinn said in a statement issued to the press shortly after the deal was settled. “The impact he made on and off the field set an example for our team and serves as a testament to his character. We wish Golden and his family the very best in the next step of his career.”
WOW. Welcome to all my new @Eagles followers. NEED YOUR HELP. What do you guys think, do I roll with 1??5?? ? Or new team, New Jersey number? ? #Help pic.twitter.com/ToAwwkuFIV
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) October 30, 2018
ESPN cites Tate as having recorded 44 catches and 517 receiving yards to go along with three touchdowns through the seven games Detroit has played thus far in 2018-19. Those totals put him on pace for 90 receptions in each of his four seasons, as well as 1,000 yards, which he amassed three times in a Lions uniform.
He now moves on to a 4-4 Eagles team that has struggled to keep a healthy team on the field. While the acquisition doesn’t provide an answer for the Jay Ajayi-less running game, Tate does provide a yards-after-catch specialist to reinforce what they have in Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery at wide receiver, and Zach Ertz at tight end.
Quarterback Carson Wentz certainly appears to be happy about the move. He took to Twitter to reply to Tate’s tweet with “Let’s roll my man! Excited to compete with ya!”
