Golden Tate might have been a New England Patriot if their prospects didn’t appear so bright a few months ago.
The Patriots offered the Detroit Lions a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft in exchange for the veteran wide receiver last October prior to the NFL trade deadline, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. However, the Philadelphia Eagles also offered a third-round pick for Tate, and the Lions ultimately shipped him to Philly, instead of New England, because they believed that pick would be higher than the one the Patriots had offered.
In nine regular-season and playoff games for the Eagles, Tate has caught 35 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He has established himself as a favorite target of Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, as they vie to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Meanwhile, the Patriots will begin their postseason march Sunday against the Chargers with an unusually high number of questions about the effectiveness of their passing attack.
