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Golden Tate

Injury Notes: Tate, Jameis, Sanders, Texans

October 16th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After suffering an AC joint sprain on Sunday, Lions wide receiver Golden Tate is expected to miss a few weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Luckily for Detroit, the club is heading into a bye week before taking on the Steelers in Week 8, so Tate will get a bit of extra time to recover. If he is forced to miss time, Tate will be a large absence for the Lions’ 21st-ranked DVOA offense, as he’s posted 36 receptions for 363 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. Detroit would turn to T.J. Jones, Jared Abbrederis, and — if he’s healthy following a hamstring injury — Kenny Golladay to play more snaps alongside Marvin Jones.

Here’s more from the injury front:

  • Like Tate, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is also dealing with an AC joint sprain, and his is all the more serious given that it’s in his throwing shoulder, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Winston attempted only 10 passes before going down with injury in a game Tampa Bay ultimately lost to Arizona. The Buccaneers are set to face the Bills in Week 7, and though Winston has vowed to play through the sprain, it’s not certain that he’ll be available on Sunday. If Winston can’t go, backup Ryan Fitzpatrick will start after throwing for 290 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions yesterday.
  • Broncos wideouts Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie will each miss at least Week 7 with sprained ankles, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). While McKenzie, a fifth-round rookie, has barely contributed on offense, the loss of Sanders will undoubtedly hurt the Broncos, as the club has little depth behind its starting wide receivers. Bennie Fowler and Jordan Taylor are candidates to see increased usage alongside Demaryius Thomas, as is Cody Latimer if he can return from a knee injury. Denver is also discussing whether to add more bodies at the wideout position, tweets Troy Renck of Denver7.
  • Cornerback Kevin Johnson is expected to return to action following the Texans‘ Week 7 bye, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson went down with a sprained MCL in mid-September, but Houston’s depth in the secondary has managed to keep its defense afloat, and the team currently ranks 11th in pass defense DVOA. Injuries have ruined each of Johnson’s past two seasons (he managed only six games in 2016), but the former first-round pick has been extremely effective when on the field.

Golden Tate Addresses Contract Status

June 10th, 2017 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this week, Golden Tate quoted a Pro Football Focus tweet about his unmatched tackle-avoiding track record since joining the Lions and used it as a platform to suggest an extension. At a charity softball game Saturday, the eighth-year wide receiver clarified his stance.

First, Tate lobbed a brief response to reporters about his salary before returning to the softball field. After being asked if he’s underpaid, Tate shot back, “Yep,” per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. The NFL’s leader in yards after catch with 1,831 since he moved to Detroit in 2014, Tate explained he’s not demanding a new deal now but is eyeing one.

“Just saw my buddy (Julian Edelman) get extended and that’s obviously the goal,” Tate said of Edelman, who was entering the final year of his Patriots contract. “I have this season and next season until I can really think about it but it wasn’t nothing malicious or mean hinting at it. I mean, I’m hinting at it in a few years, of course. I’ve still got time.”

Tate signed a five-year deal worth $31MM in 2014 and has delivered for the Lions, recording the first two 1,000-yard seasons of his career and leading the Lions in receptions over the past three seasons. He joined the Lions as their No. 2 wideout, and Calvin Johnson‘s salary understandably dwarfed his. But Marvin Jones‘ now does as well after the former Bengals No. 2 wide receiver signed for five years and $40MM. The 28-year-old Tate stands to take up $8.3MM and $9.3MM of the Lions’ 2017 and ’18 salary caps, respectively, if an extension is not reached.

On the heels of three straight 90-catch seasons, Tate is now the 26th-highest-paid receiver in football. his $6.25MM AAV mark is well behind Jones’ $8MM-per-year average. The cap’s continued climb also resulted in players like Mohamed Sanu, Kenny Stills and Robert Woods (zero combined 1,000-yard slates) sign for more money annually.

But Tate insists he’s thinking long-term with his extension references and doesn’t sound like he’s going to be seeking one in 2017, which would be interesting given that he’s under team control for multiple years. Despite being brought in before the Bob Quinn regime took over, Tate wants to stay in Detroit long-term.

“I would love to stay here as long as you guys accept me and want me here,” Tate said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Like I said, I’m having fun, we’re starting to win games and that’s important. So hopefully Bob Quinn and (team president) Rod Wood and (Jim) Caldwell and Jim Bob (Cooter) want me around, and I’ll stay around as long as they’ll have me.

“I think if, collectively if we win games and I do my part, I hope there’s talks. But we’ll see. It’s a long way away as far as I’m concerned.”

Lions’ Golden Tate Wants Extension?

June 9th, 2017 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

There’s plenty of time left on his current deal, but Golden Tate could be getting ahead of the game. The Lions wide receiver took to Twitter last night with what is an apparent request for a new deal. Golden Tate (vertical)

“I hope I’m one of the next ones to get extended,” Tate wrote. “Big plays can come in all shapes and forms, huh?”

Tate, 29 in August, has two years to go on the five-year, $31MM deal he signed with the Lions back in 2014. Tate’s tweet came moments after Julian Edelman agreed to an extension with the Patriots, but there are some key differences between the two situations, namely that Edelman is entering his contract year. Teams are typically reluctant to enter extension talks with players that have two years to go for fear of setting a precedent with others.

Tate was the Lions’ top receiver in 2016 as he hauled in 91 catches for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns. His current deal pays him an average of $6.2MM per season and places him just 26th among receivers, so it’s not hard to see why he would want a pay bump. But, unless he’s willing to drum up some leverage by skipping out on minicamp, it’s not likely that he’ll get what he’s searching for this summer.

If Tate can reprise his 2016 performance, he should be in line for the extension he’s seeking next summer. The Lions inked cornerback Darius Slay, running back Theo Riddick, and punter Sam Martin to new deals when they were one year out from expiration and defensive back Don Carey got a new deal in the midst of his final season under contract.

Lions Restructure Golden Tate’s Contract

September 10th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have created some breathing room under the cap by restructuring Golden Tate‘s contract, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The simple restructure was completed several days ago in order for the team to be cap-compliant when the season began, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, the Lions converted $3.005MM of Tate’s $3.75MM salary for 2015 into a signing bonus, which will now be prorated over the remaining four years of his deal. The move reduces Tate’s base salary for this season to the minimum $745K, and creates about $2.25MM in cap room.

As Over the Cap’s data shows, the Lions are among the NFL teams closest to going over the cap in 2015, so reworking Tate’s deal gives the team a little flexibility to get through the season. The move will also increase Tate’s cap numbers by about $751K for each year from 2016 through 2018 — his cap hit will jump to over $7MM in ’16, $8.35MM in ’17, and $9.35MM in ’18.

West Notes: Incognito, Bowman, Tate

November 14th, 2014 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos are the latest team to bring in free agent guard Richie Incognito for a visit and a workout, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report hears that Incognito’s visit to Denver and previous auditions with the Chiefs and Buccaneers went well. One executive even tells Freeman that Incognito looked “excellent” in his tryout. However, considering the former Dolphin is still looking for work, it appears he remains too toxic for any club to seriously consider signing him at this point, writes Freeman. At some point, a team will look past Incognito’s involvement in last year’s bullying scandal in Miami and give him another shot, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that it will happen this season.

As we wait to see whether Denver or another club picks up Incognito in the second half, let’s check in on a few Friday items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….

  • The 49ers will see one of their standout linebackers return to the field this weekend, with Aldon Smith having been activated after serving his nine-game suspension. However, there’s a “real possibility” that injured linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who is still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last season, won’t return to action in 2014, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Wide receiver Golden Tate inked a lucrative five-year deal with the Lions back in March, and while that deal may have raised some eyebrows at the time, it’s turning into a great investment, with Tate in the top five in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards. Tate discussed his free agent process today, admitting that he thought he’d be a “hot commodity,” but “that wasn’t the case at all” (link via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). Having previously referred to the Seahawks‘ contract offer as “laughable,” Tate didn’t show much sympathy for his old team today. “Their problem,” Tate said of Seattle. “Now they don’t have me or Percy [Harvin].”
  • The Broncos had hoped to keep linebacker Nate Irving in case he could return this season, but the team ultimately decided to place him on season-ending injured reserve yesterday due to his knee injury. Denver head coach John Fox explained the decision today, as Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post details.

AFC Notes: Tate, Dwyer, Harbaugh, Conner

September 29th, 2014 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

New England is on the road tonight against the Chiefs but there are plenty of Patriots fans in attendance tonight. Erik Frenz of Boston.com caught up with some of them before kickoff and while they were enthusiastic at that point, they’re probably a bit down in the dumps now. Here’s tonight’s look around the AFC..

  • Lions wide receiver Golden Tate matched a career-high with eight catches for 116 yards against the Jets and Gang Green probably wishes he was on their side of the affair. As Tate told reporters, including Birkett, that nearly happened. “Excited to be a part of this,” Tate said. “I‘m glad that Detroit decided to take a chance. Funny thing is that the Jets had a chance to get me also. They were deciding between me and Eric Decker and they went with Decker, a heck of a player also. But thankful for the opportunity to be here and help contribute, help win games and bring that championship mentality.” More from the AFC..
  • Michigan may be interested in him, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh isn’t likely to reciprocate, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. There are a number of reasons why Harbaugh wouldn’t want to chase the job, according to a source, including his friendship with current Michigan coach Brady Hoke. Harbaugh said as much earlier today, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Fullback John Conner visited the Jets today, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Conner, who has appeared in 35 games for the Jets, was with the Giants during preseason. With fullback Tommy Bohanon hurt, Conner could have an opportunity to return to the Meadowlands.

Lions Notes: Tate, Fauria, Bailey, Jones

September 26th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Rob DiRe

As the Lions and Jets prepare to battle this Sunday, a huge factor in the matchup could come to a decision made much earlier this offseason. Both teams entered the offseason with a very similar needs, namely cornerback and wide receiver. While each team elected to more or less ignore their cornerback problem, both made big splashes at receiver. Eric Decker was thought to be the top pass catcher on the market, but it was the Lions who struck a deal first, electing to sign Golden Tate away from the Seahawks. Head coach Jim Caldwell notes that Tate was their first choice from the beginning, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

“I can tell you that Golden was our prime target and we’re glad he’s here,” said Caldwell. “Decker obviously is a fine football player and does a lot of things extremely well.”

Decker is questionable for Sunday, but expects to play. reports Brian Costello of the New York Post.

Here are some other notes as we draw closer to Lions vs. Jets at MetLife Stadium Sunday:

  • While both teams addressed receivers in the offseason, they both failed to improve their situations at cornerback. Each team boasts a top end run defense, with a shaky secondary susceptible to big plays downfield. While answering fan questions on Twitter, Michael Rothstein of ESPN was asked about cornerback Champ Bailey‘s status as a free agent. Both the Jets and Lions could use help at the position, but neither has had any concrete connection to Bailey in 2014. Rothstein believes this could be an indication that Bailey may not have anything left in the tank (via Twitter).
  • Lions’ tight end Joseph Fauria injured his ankle on Wednesday, leaving the team with only two players at the position on the active roster. While Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron should be able to cover for Fauria’s minimal production, it could change the way the team attacks the Jets’ defense. The team will be forced to use more three wide receiver sets unless they decide to promote tight end Jordan Thompson or fullback Emil Igwenagu, who has played tight end, writes Rothstein. They could also consider increased roles for fullbacks Jed Collins and Montell Owens.
  • The Lions run defense has been great through three games, with defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley getting most of the credit. However, Jason Jones has been a huge part of the team’s success, writes Mike O’Hara in his game preview for DetroitLions.com.

Lions Notes: Suh, Leshoure, Lawson

August 8th, 2014 at 6:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

Lions All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was identified by the league as one of 21 “at-risk” players who have “teetered on the boundaries of the league’s new way of doing on-field business,” reports NFL.com’s Albert Breer. As a result, NFL executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent is seeking out the 21 players to address the issue directly. “There’s been pushback, and some anger,” says Breer, but in Suh’s case, Vincent was encouraged by their in-person sit-down.

“He was very receptive, he understood, he cared about the perception, his reputation, and I told him we’re not trying to take the edge he plays with away,” Vincent said. “I said, ‘We’ve seen you adjust, we’ve seen an adjustment in your play, let’s keep that going.’ … We met for hours, talking about the example he sets, the role model he’s become, and emphasizing his adjustment. What he did was set the bar with his approach, since he was first.” 

That news will probably be met with a collective eye roll from opposing players and fans who have grown tired of Suh’s lip service, but all eyes will be on him to see if he cleans up his act under a new coaching staff expected to incorporate more discipline than Jim Schwartz’s teams exhibited.

Here’s a few more Lions news and notes:

      • Running back Mikel Leshoure was a second-round pick in 2012, but he’s fourth on the Lions’ depth chart as the preseason kicks off, writes Mlive.com’s Kyle Meinke. However, people around the team seem to think that’s more a reflection of the team’s depth at the position rather than Leshoure underachieving. Even though new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi comes from New Orleans, where the Saints used a stable of capable runners, it’s difficult to envision the Lions carrying Leshoure as a projected inactive or severing ties, particularly if he has trade value, as Meinke’s Mlive colleague Justin Rogers suggests. “Mikel Leshoure still looks the part of a former second-round pick,” says Rogers. “The fourth-year running back has the size, speed and strength teams covet in the backfield, but it’s increasingly clear he’ll struggle to see the field in Detroit…Leshoure has looked good during the early stages of training camp and has been rewarded with plenty of reps with the first-team offense. But no matter how much work he gets and how well he practices, it’s difficult seeing a role for Leshoure without an injury to another player.”
      • “An area of concern for Detroit at this point might be Ezekiel Ansah,” says ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. Ansah (shoulder) is still on the active physically unable to perform list, and while he’s been working on the side with trainers, Rothstein wonders how far behind he’s falling physically and/or mentally, especially with the team implementing a new scheme.
      • Fourth-rounder Nevin Lawson isn’t expected to have a major impact this season, but he’s in an enviable position to learn and grow, according to Fox Sports Detroit’s Dana Wakiji, who points out that the rookie stands to benefit from practice reps against Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate and tutelage from Rashean Mathis. With the Lions adding Drayton Florence to the mix, Lawson will likely begin the year fifth on the depth chart, as the team is willing to take a patient approach with his development.
      • It looks as if veteran Kevin Ogletree is establishing himself as the No. 3 receiver, says Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez in the Detroit Free Press.

Packers Sign Jordy Nelson To Extension

July 26th, 2014 at 11:09am CST by Matt Feminis

Packers receiver Jordy Nelson has agreed to a four-year, $39MM contract extension, including $14.2MM guaranteed, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. He says the deal will average $9.76MM and Nelson will receive a $11.5MM signing bonus.

On Thursday, Luke Adams relayed a report that Nelson was seeking $10MM per year, and provided perspective on Nelson’s standing amongst some of the league’s other top receivers. Ultimately, Nelson got what he was seeking at a number the Packers are probably happy with, too. In his story, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra says Nelson is “still a very good bargain for the Packers.”

In terms of guaranteed money, Nelson’s $14.2MM will slot just below the likes of Eric Decker ($15MM), rookie Mike Evans ($14.6MM) and Percy Harvin ($14.5MM) and above Golden Tate ($13.3MM) and Pierre Garcon ($13.1MM). The 29-year-old Nelson has established himself as one of the best receivers in the NFC, earning the role of Aaron Rodgers go-to man thanks to his consistency, dependability and playmaking. The departure of Greg Jennings did not affect Nelson’s production last season, as he totaled 85 receptions for 1,314 and eight touchdowns.

Now, the Packers will turn their attention to Randall Cobb, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. In a Twiter exchange, two of the media’s most prominent salary cap experts, CBS’ Joel Corry and OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald, provided instant reaction to the Nelson news and how it affects Cobb’s future. Corry says most teams do not have two high-priced receivers, adding, “If Randall Cobb views himself as a Percy Harvin type player, signing him to a contract extension will be extremely difficult.”

NFC Notes: Austin, Wilson, Conte

July 21st, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Matt Feminis

Tavon Austin did not provide the degree of immediate impact the Rams were hoping for when they chose him eighth overall last year. In an AP story, Austin was bluntly honest about why he didn’t play as fast as he’s capable: he struggled with the complexities of his first NFL playbook. “I didn’t really know what was going on,” Austin said. “Everything looked like Spanish and sounded like Spanish to me.”

Here’s some NFC links:

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