The Giants have already found a receiver to take Odell Beckham Jr.'s place, as veteran WR Golden Tate has agreed to a four-year deal with Big Blue. CAA Football, who Tate is represented by, made the deal official with a Twitter announcement.
Tate's deal is worth $37.5 million over the four years, with $23 million in guaranteed money, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed. Coming out to $9.375 million per season, that is slightly lower than Spotrac's market value for Tate at $10.2 million.
It was just yesterday that the Giants' shocking trade to send Beckham to the Browns was made official, but GM Dave Gettleman wasted no time finding his immediate replacement. He brings in a nine-year veteran with reliable hands, and the ability to run any route on the field.
Tate, who will be 31 when the new season starts, began his 2018 campaign with the Lions, where he totaled 517 yards on 44 receptions with three touchdowns. He was, then, traded to the Eagles before the NFL trade deadline, but he never took off in their hunt to defend their Super Bowl title. He played in eight games (four starts), totaling 278 yards on 30 receptions with one touchdown.
One of Tate's specialties is converting on third down. In 2018, he moved the chains 14 times on 25 receptions, while tallying 308 yards -- the most of any down that season. He is also a master at gaining yards after the catch. Since 2014, leads wide receivers with 118 missed tackles forced -- 36 more than Beckham.
In fact, since 2014, no other receiver has come close to Golden Tate's forced missed tackles after the catch. pic.twitter.com/gQPLtKlNSL
- Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 14, 2019
It will be interesting to see how head coach Pat Shurmur deploys Tate considering Sterling Shepard is almost a mirror image of him. Tate comes in at 5-foot-10, 202 pounds, while Shepard is also measured at 5-foot-10 and weighs 195 pounds. Shepard has also proved to be reliable on third downs, converting 17 on 20 receptions in 2018.
While Tate isn't at Beckham's caliber, the Giants are bringing in a proven veteran that can act as a leader among a young group of offensive weapons.