Shortly after the New England Patriots and Julian Edelman agreed to a contract extension on Thursday, Pro Football Focus sent out a tweet, noting that since 2014, Edelman has forced more missed tackles among receivers than all but four receivers. Detroit Lions star Golden Tate tops the list and made it known that he hopes a contract extension is coming his way, too.
I hope I'm one of the next ones to get extended….. big plays can come in all shapes and forms huh? https://t.co/Rsw1jBRPWU
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) June 9, 2017
Some stats aren’t necesarilly indicative of how good a player is. This, however, does not appear to be one of them. The guys between Tate and Edelman — Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., and Antonio Brown — are stars.
An extension certainly could be coming Tate’s way in the near future. He’s signed with the Detroit Lions through 2018, although there’s a potential out after 2017.
In 2016, Tate caught 91 passes for 1,077 yards. Both represented the second best totals of his career.
In general, Tate has flourished with the Lions. His reception totals during his three years in Detroit mark the three highest of his career. Similarly, the best two yardage seasons of his career (and three of the top four) have come in a Lions uniform.