Many suggested that when the Detroit Lions traded Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick at the NFL trade deadline, they were essentially giving up on the 2018 season. Tate had been the centerpiece of the Lions offense for years, and sending him away was essentially waiving the white flag for a 3-4 Lions team that had just been dominated by a Seahawks team at home.
A report from MMQB’s Albert Breer adds fuel to that fire. According to Breer, when the Eagles traded for Tate, they had competition:
As the Eagles heard it, they and the Patriots had third-round draft picks on the table, and Detroit figured the Eagles’ pick would be higher.