Not surprised. If I were him and all of this happened to me, I'd be disgusted too. So many Seahawks fans have been saying ridiculous things on social media sites. I know not all Hawks fans have voiced these same things, but many are while (in comparison), a handful have voiced their feelings in a far more respectable manner and thanked him for what he did in Seattle to contribute to this team's first Super Bowl victory. If he was offered nearly twice as much from the Lions, he'd be stupid to turn that down to stay in Seattle. I don't root for any other football team and my first choice would be Seattle, but if I played professional football, was signed by Seattle out of the draft, played fairly well through my rookie contract without complaining about the money and then was given an offer, as Tate said it, in a take or leave it sort of way that acts as if they're just going through the motions and offering an extremely low contract expecting me to probably go elsewhere....I'd go elsewhere. Thing is, though, Seattle probably had little to no intention on re-signing him anyway, unless he did exactly that (accepting well below market value). I know it's not meant to be an insult even though Tate probably took it that way, but with so many stars on this team, not everyone is going to be able to get top dollar in Seattle. It's unfortunate, but this is how it has to be with a salary cap in place. Being a run-first team that sprinkles in a passing game, receivers have far less value in our system, but that doesn't mean we didn't want him. There's just a line Seattle has to draw in order to make sure the team's future isn't compromised. Drafting a rookie sometime in the first three rounds (if we move up or back into the 3rd) will cost significantly less with little to no drop off IMO. It could also be a huge boost to the offense, but it's a chance you have to take sometimes and you have to be able to trust your scouts, drafting ability and system to bring the most out of young players. With what Seattle has done since Pete and John came here, I have little reason to question the decisions they make.
I would have preferred this not come up in the media because it's just more drama on a situation that shines a negative light towards the Seahawks, The Fans and Golden Tate depending on who you talk to. I enjoyed having Tate on this team, but I'm indifferent on the situation for the reasons I stated above. I care about this TEAM more than any one individual and unless the player is critical to our success going forward, the most you'll get from me is probably a shrug of the shoulders. Anyone outside of the Top 5-7 Players (on a young, championship team) isn't assured anything. A small percentage are "must keep no matter what", a decent chunk are dependent on whether they'll take less to stay or they're able to be retained due to a soft market and the rest are interchangeable who will be let go or choose to move on and we'll keep rotating young guys or veterans in on low contracts in order to help even out the discrepancy from elite players on the team who will be making a ton of cash yearly.
I hope Tate has success in Detroit, especially when the Lions play SF, St. Louis and Arizona, but do horribly when they get to play Seattle. Seattle will be fine at receiver without him with guys like Harvin, Baldwin and Kearse still on the team. I still expect us to add another receiver or two via the draft, free agency or combination of the two and if they pan out, it could very well be an upgrade to our offense over Tate. I think losing Tate has the biggest impact on our Punt Return game. Maybe Christine Michael will fill that role well because I really don't care for Turbin or Kearse back there. Anyway, going to stop before I end up writing a novel. Excited to see who they add in the draft. I really want a big receiver with physicality to help Wilson in the red zone, but I also wouldn't be that surprised to see them grab another small(ish) receiver with some speed like a Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham Jr. I think both would do very well in Seattle and provide an upgrade over Tate.
