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For teams to succeed in the NFL, they must make difficult decisions. The Lions did just this Tuesday.
"It's a case."
You hear it all the time. Players develop relationships with teammates, fans and cities. It is not always easy to show them the door when it comes to the time. But that's an important element in building a winner, and the Detroit Lions did it Tuesday afternoon when they handed wide receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick.
"It's important to us, when we evaluate everything we do as a franchise, I think we can get some value at certain times of the season that will help us in the long run and obviously have confidence in those who participate Lions head coach Matt Patricia said, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.
It is a more formal way of pointing out that Tate was in the last year of his contract and that he was probably not showing any clue as to his intention to resign with Detroit by free will.
It's a tough pill to swallow for Lions because Tate was in his fifth year with the team and had become a vocal leader in the locker room. But when you take into account Tate's contract, his age and the depth behind him, it becomes obvious that it was the right decision to make.
Tate should be a free agent at the end of the season. This will mark his second time on the free market, which means the mileage traveled on his body. Tate has just turned 30, which is not entirely new in terms of the broadest reception standards. If Detroit let him play his contract with them and tried to sign him again, they'd be hiring a lot of money for a guy whose best days are behind him.
Meanwhile, Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay wait in the wings of the Lions. Both athletes are long-term sports receivers. They are known for their ability to ride and grab 50-50 balls, but they are not too bad as runners on the road.
A kind of wide receiver blockage had surfaced in Detroit before the trade. Jones has only four assists in a game before the eighth week. Golladay comes Three total catches in his last two games. Receivers with this kind of ability – especially when Matthew Stafford throws the ball at them – should not go through dry periods like this.
It's hard to do, but contracts like the one Detroit has today are the most rewarding for teams.
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