Jamie Samuelsen, co-host of the show "Jamie and Stoney" at 6 am on weekdays on WXYT-FM (97.1), blogs for freep.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press or its authors. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter. @jamiesamuelsen.

Where do you meet the Detroit Lions when negotiating Golden Tate: good idea or bad idea?

The Golden Tate trade boils down to two questions:

1. Can Lions win the Super Bowl this season?

2. Does Trade Help Lions in 2019 and Beyond?

The answer to question # 1 is a categorical no. The Lions are 3-4. Even if they had to win the mediocre NFC North (which would probably involve a victory in Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago), they do not compare to the Rams or Saints, the two best teams of the NFC.

As for question # 2, the added draft can certainly not hurt them. Of course, there is no guarantee at this stage of the project. Kenny Golladay was a third-round pick that currently looks like a robbery. Offensive midfielder Brian Calhoun was a third round pick for Matt Millen who was certainly not a bargain. If history is a guide, the Lions have done well in the third round over the years. Graham Glasgow, Larry Warford, DeAndre Levy and Cliff Avril were all chosen in the third round, which had a major impact on the lineup and started their rookie season.

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But again, we do not know how this selection will go. We do not even know if Bob Quinn will use this choice to trade up and down or trade in the 2020 project. It's a flea. And it's a chip more than the Lions before their Tate exchange yesterday.

I totally understand the affection of this city for Golden Tate. He is, in my opinion, the greatest free agent in franchise history. He has averaged 90 shots or better over his four seasons or so here and is on the verge of getting another 90 this season. He was a class actor on and off the field. He always had time for the media and the fans. He and his wife were active in the community and embraced the city. Since Calvin Johnson retired, he is the best offensive weapon of this football team.

But he is 30 years old. And in terms of football, especially skills, it's old. Tate will get a new contract this low season from a team that is far from arguing. This will pay him well and give him the security he desires and deserves. But it will be a bad contract at the time of his signature because he will refuse as a football player. This is not an opinion. This is not an insult. It's a fact. Large receptors in their thirties are starting to decline. The Lions have Marvin Jones here for two more seasons and Golladay's career is clearly on the rise. Having three wide receivers is a nice luxury to have. Having a good line of defense is even better. Tate, even if he is the best catcher Lions, is a luxury. This team can still move the ball, score and still win with Jones and Golladay.

Not to mention Kerryon Johnson too. The Tate deal highlights how important Johnson and Golladay are to this team over the past nine weeks and beyond. If Golladay can publish figures like he did for the first five weeks and Johnson can run as he did against the Patriots and Dolphins, that offense will be fine. And let's not forget that the Lions had a good fortune in terms of health (aside from Ziggy Ansah and T.J. Lang for a few games). Despite this, they still have 3-4. What makes you think that this team was ready for a 6-3 finish and that it goes to 9-7. Will 9-7 get you into the playoffs? This is possible in this year's NFC. But with this run defense, Lions can hope to qualify for the playoffs.

Quinn did two good deals last week to win Damon Harrison from the Giants and send Tate to the Eagles. As usual, Quinn did not speak to the media at all during the regular season. It's hard to know exactly what he thinks of this year's team and their chances of playing in the playoffs. The Harrison case seems to be a statement that Lions expect it. The Tate case seems to be the opposite.

In fact, neither of the two professions is as easy to diagnose. Harrison is here for the next two years, so he is helping the defense of the race in the present and the future. Tate was not going back and the offense should still be good enough to argue. So this trade has been done with an eye on the future. Quinn would probably never have said that last year's team was better than 9-7 when he fired Jim Caldwell. This has just raised the level of expectations for this season. But head coach Matt Patricia met those expectations when he started his training camp this season saying he was not focusing on a total of victories for 2018, but on setting up a sustainable program. Last week's two trades support this goal.

The emotion is on the side of Tate. Rational thinking is on the side of commerce. Lions are not good enough this year. They have a chance to be better next year. Once you admit that these two things are true, the Tate's business makes perfect sense.

More:

The Lions leave after the "shocking" trade of the Tate: "We will always be a very good offensive"

Does Tate's trading give Patricia, Quinn an excuse to fail?

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