John and Pete recognize football talent and they drafted Tate, unfortunately Tate was a slow bloomer and took several years to finally understand what he needed to do to play WR up to his physical abilities as a pro. He got it though albeit after a long learning period and was very solid in the year and a half before heis rookie deal expired. I was surprised he was not re-upped and didn't really understand the lowball offer the team made to him, the cap crunch arguments seemed to missing something.The Baldwin or Tate questions were being asked before last offseason as were the Percy or Tate questions and Tate was frequently losing in the arguments. I felt perhaps the FO saw Tate as not being different enough from Percy or better than Baldwin or Percy yet Tate was coming on in terms of skill and becoming an elite WR so that didn't really make sense long term. Perhaps there was something else? The rumours about Tate and Ashton were beginning around then too.
The team has been very consistent in rewarding their own when they play well and are team guys. I thought Tate was a team guy and was playing well by the end of his rookie deal, so what happened? Something happened for the Hawks to not keep a player they'd thought enough of to draft in the 2nd Rd and who was a good solid improving WR who was very good RAC and was an elite punt returner.
So what happened, why did the team lowball Tate? Was it to keep Percy happy, or was it something else? It is clear that Tate's punt returning contributions have not been replaced, but then to lose both starting returners creates a hole that still is missing on ST. Did the team believe that Percy would replace what Tate brought to the table and thus Tate was replaceable or was it something else? I don't know for sure but there was a reason why Percy put the slug on Tate and the admission there was something between Tate and Russell leads me to wonder if the rumours about Tate and Ashton were true. If so there is an explanation for the whole series of events.
I think Tate wanted to remain a Hawk and he's still miffed that the organization lowballed him. There is something missing in an analysis of this question. Ockham's razor would lead me to believe the rumours of Tate and Ashton were true and therein is the reason Tate was lowballed by the team, Percy was upset and popped Tate in the eye as a result of the likely knowledge the Tate-Ashton was likely the reality. There are other explanations yet the razor is usually right.
I liked Tate and thought he was worth keeping, his ST contribution are yet to be replaced but I suspect there is more to this story than we know for sure. I wish him luck in Detroit I hope he brings the team a nice comp, pick, he's a Lion now. Time to move on.