Former Lions WR Golden Tate signs with professional baseball team

Former NFL wide receiver Golden Tate has not yet officially retired from the game of football, but now he’s trying his hand at a different sport. After going basically an entire year without signing with an NFL team (he had a month-long stint with the Titans, but did not see the field), Tate has signed with the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League.

“I am extremely thankful to the West Coast League and the Port Angeles Lefties for allowing me to join their league,” Tate said in an official statement. “As some might know, I was drafted twice in baseball. As a child, my first love was baseball, so I’m excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best young players in the league. I look forward to having a lot of fun and exploring baseball more.”

Tate was, indeed, drafted twice for Major League Baseball, first in the 2007 amateur draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 42nd round. Tate did not sign with the team and, instead, chose to play both baseball and football for the Notre Dame Irish. Three years later, he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 50th round. Again, he chose not to sign, since had had been just drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round.

Of course, Lions fans will remember Tate from his four-and-and-half-year span with the Detroit Lions. During that era, Tate caught 90 passes in four straight season, including a 2014 year in which he pulled in a career-high 1,331 yards on the way to his one and only Pro Bowl.

After the Lions traded Tate away at the trade deadline in 2018, he never saw the same level of success with the Eagles or Giants.

Tate is expected to start in the Lefties’ game on Tuesday night. We wish him nothing but the best of luck in his second professional sport!