Golden Tate asks Lions for a contract extension

In the wake of Julian Edelman’s deal, Golden Tate is lobbying for a new contract of his own.

On Thursday, the New England Patriots and wide receiver Julian Edelman agreed to a contract extension through 2019. With a reported $9 million in total guaranteed money, Edelman traded a possible bigger contract for being able to stay with the Patriots.

Golden Tate has 90 or more catches in each of his three seasons with the Detroit Lions, leading the team in that category in all three campaigns with two 1,000-yard seasons as well. He has two years left on the five-year deal he signed in 2014, but Tate apparently saw Edelman’s deal as a chance to publicly stoke negotiations on his own contract extension.

Any talk of a contract extension with Tate is surely on the back burner for the Lions. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering the final year of his contract, and extension talks were reportedly in the early stages a month ago. That’s not to dismiss Tate’s value to the team, but a new deal for him is clearly not as urgent a matter as keeping the quarterback in place.

A year from now things will be different, with Tate entering the final year of his own deal. Ideally, he’ll be coming off another good season to bolster his value and leverage.

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New England often operates from their own corner in the market for players, with the “Patriot Way” as a selling point and Bill Belichick willing to cut ties with those who are no longer of use to him. So Edelman’s new contract is a difficult reference point for the wide receiver market as a whole, but Tate is starting to build an argument he should be paid better.