And that is Golden Tate.

With the amount of money given to Rice and Harvin it would be hard to pay Tate what he could probably get on the open market. When Schneider talks about we can't keep everyone, this may be the first example.

I think the front office is going to look very closely at Tate and Rice this season. If Tate has a good enough season, he may end up being the one shown the door.

If Tate does leave, though, I'd laugh if he signed with Green Bay.

Tate and Rice will be competing for that money in 2014. No question.

Durability will be key for Sidney. His prototypical size and #1 skills give him the edge here. But Golden's a playmaker. Development and attitude will be big for him. Has he hit his ceiling? This will be one of the more interesting things to watch this season.

Shadowhawk wrote:If Tate does leave, though, I'd laugh if he signed with Green Bay.

"Aaron, I'll go deep and you run around and throw me an interception, okay?"

miller could also be out the door to free up money for tate if Fells shows he can get it done.

Miller and Rice are the two biggest candidates for a contract restructure or a release/trade after next season, I would think.

gtcotcakya wrote:

Shadowhawk wrote:If Tate does leave, though, I'd laugh if he signed with Green Bay.

"Aaron, I'll go deep and you run around and throw me an interception, okay?"

Lol, I must not be quite awake yet. I had to read that twice before I got it DOH!

throw in Baldwin too I believe. Baldwin, Tate and Rice are likely competing for 1-2 roster spots next year. I could see them keeping Rice but he will likely be asked to restructure or get cut

Tate, Rice, Miller - wouldn't be surprised if they are all gone next year. I think it depends a bit on what is available in this draft that fits our needs. If we can get a 3-5 round WR / TE that does well enough that in a year they are starters then I think at least two but probably all three are gone.

Hopefully they can walk out as SB champions........

If it comes down to Rice vs. Tate, I would keep Rice. I think over the next couple years, Rice and Harvin would work better than Tate and Harvin (too similar).

As I said in the Kam thread.. I think this tips our hand in the draft. There are many more WR's in Rounds 2-4 that are available than there are safeties.

When you have big money tied to two WR's.. logic tells you the rest of the WR corps are probably going to be much much cheaper.

Making too much money is turning into a curse.

I'd rather keep Tate over Rice. I think the FO will bring in players to compete with Rice and Miller in this draft i.e. NFL ready prospects that can step right in and compete as opposed to raw athletes.

Shadowhawk wrote:Miller and Rice are the two biggest candidates for a contract restructure or a release/trade after next season, I would think.

Isn't Tate a free agent next year? This is year 4. Did he sign a 5 year deal as a 2nd rounder?

jlwaters1 wrote:

Shadowhawk wrote:Miller and Rice are the two biggest candidates for a contract restructure or a release/trade after next season, I would think.

Isn't Tate a free agent next year? This is year 4. Did he sign a 5 year deal as a 2nd rounder?

You are correct. From Rotoworld:

7/28/2010: Signed a four-year, $3,261,500 contract. The deal contains $1.471 million guaranteed, including a $1 million signing bonus. 2013: $630,000, 2014: Free Agent

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5583/golden-tate

They once said Tate was like a poor man's Percy Harvin, and since now we have Percy Harvin, what do we do with Tate?

Decesions, decesions...

Tate is going to improve. He had a great season.

He is part of this team and has grown into and with this team, and he belongs.

Breno Giacomini, Paul McQuistan, and Michael Robinson are all free agents as well. They may not be big name guys, but that's 40% of our starting offensive line, and our starting fullback. I'd say those can be pretty key guys going into free agency in 2014 as well.

I'd let Tate hit the market honestly.

IBleedBlueAndGreen wrote:Breno Giacomini, Paul McQuistan, and Michael Robinson are all free agents as well. They may not be big name guys, but that's 40% of our starting offensive line, and our starting fullback. I'd say those can be pretty key guys going into free agency in 2014 as well.

They are also the most replaceable. McQuistan was the swiss-army knife. Not a full-time starter but a valuable reserve. Breno has gotten better but he is certainly replaceable and I'd be shocked if he didn't have a draft pick for competition this offseason. I'd also expect a draft pick to challenge Mike Rob.

I think if a modest deal for Tate could be worked out I'd do it. PC has said before that Tate is the best at going up and getting the ball. He's got a knack for getting the football at it's highest peak.

I think Farwell, Maragos, McQuistan, M-Rob, and Breno are all gone after this year. I think Rice and Miller will be asked to restructure after 2013 or be cut. Depending on what happens in the draft.