Golden Tate says Matthew Stafford is the best QB he’s played with

Ever since Golden Tate was traded midseason away from the Detroit Lions, he’s had nothing but nice things to say about the organization. When the trade first went down, Tate showed his graciousness for the opportunity the Lions gave them.

“Can’t thank the Lions organization enough for the commitment they made to me and my family,” Tate wrote in a heartfelt Twitter post.

Then when the offseason hit, he said he believes general manager Bob Quinn has the team pointed in the right direction.

And this weekend at the American Century Golf Championship, Tate turned his appreciation to Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“I think Stafford’s been the best quarterback I’ve played with,” Tate told Bernie Smilovitz. “The guy can flat-out play. He’s tough and his attitude’s amazing and he just wants to play ball.”

That’s no minor praise for Stafford. Remember, Golden Tate played with six-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson for two years and—gossipy rumors aside—the two won a Super Bowl together.

But Tate believes that Stafford deserves that kind of postseason success based on his talent alone.

“It’s almost unfair that he’s such a good player and doesn’t have playoffs or a ring to show for it,” Tate said. “That kind of hurts my heart that I wasn’t able to help change that. I think, over his career, if you put him in another organization, maybe things are different. I don’t know, because I played with some guys over my years that have won playoff games with that I don’t think are as good.”

Not-so-subtle jab at Wilson aside, that is high praise from a former teammate, and just further proof that Tate is a class act.