Giants clear cap space and release wide receiver Golden Tate

The New York Giants released wide receiver Golden Tate in a move that will save cap space and remove a troublesome presence at the same time.

Add the Giants to the list of teams likely to hunt for a wide receiver when free agency starts.

According to Adam Schefter, New York released wide receiver Golden Tate after a drama-filled 2020 campaign.

The decision to cut the 32-year-old will save the team $6 million in cap space. However, there’s much more going on here than just cost-savings.

Golden Tate and the Giants had an unhappy partnership in 2020

The Giants signed Tate in 2019 as a veteran presence, and he delivered 676 yards and six touchdowns in 10 starts. However, things went way downhill in 2020.

He started just two of the first eight games of the season and let his frustration over his usage boil over throughout the season. He got into a fight with Jalen Ramsey after the Rams game in Week 4. In Week 8, he caught a touchdown pass against Tampa Bay and shouted, “Throw me the ball” into the camera and towards the Giants sideline. He later liked a tweet about the Giants cutting him.

Tate didn’t get cut at the time. He was disciplined by the team and demoted. He ultimately came back to start twice more before the end of the season. He didn’t play the final two games.

In 2020, he totaled a career-low 388 yards in 12 games of action. New York was led by Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard instead.

It looks like Tate was more trouble than he was worth for the G-Men. While he looks to find somewhere else to play in 2021, the Giants can look at the market to find a different veteran to help Daniel Jones and the passing offense.