The New England Patriots will definitely be in the market for a wide receiver this offseason and the good news for them is that it seems the top free agent receiver definitely wants to play for them.
That receiver is Golden Tate, and he made it pretty clear this week that he'd be open to signing with New England when free agency kicks off on March. 13.
"I would love it. That organization, they've proven to be champions year-in and year-out," Tate said on the Prostyle Podcast, via ESPN.com. "They work hard, for sure. But you know where you're going to be at the end of the season; you're going to be looking at not [only] going to the playoffs, but maybe a first-round bye. You got to admire that organization. They do things right and they've been doing it for a long, long, long time."
Tate also mentioned that he would like to catch passes from Tom Brady.
"I'd definitely love to be a part of something like that, and definitely catch a few passes from old Tommy Boy," Tate said.
Tate should probably be the first person the Patriots call when free agency begins and that's because the receiving position is arguably their biggest need heading into free agency. With Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson and Josh Gordon all set to be free agents -- Gordon will be a restricted free agent -- Julian Edelman is the only key receiver currently under contract with the Patriots.
The Patriots were actually interested in acquiring Tate at the trade deadline back in October, but they weren't able to get a deal done and the receiver ended up getting traded from Detroit to Philadelphia.
One of the reasons Tate would strongly consider signing with the Patriots is because he wants to win a second Super Bowl ring and he knows that at 30 years old, he's running out of time to do that.
"My time is limited. I don't know if it's going to be three, four, five, six years. I don't know what it's going to be, but I'm on the tail end of my career for sure," Tate said. "I want to get another ring. Winning the Super Bowl was probably one of the highlights of my career, or the highlight of my career. I want to get back there so much more. That's what the goal is."
Of course, the Patriots won't be Tate's only option in free agency. The receiver said he'll some interest in signing with any team that has a "good quarterback."
"I want to go into this situation, I kind of want to have my cake and eat it at the same time," Tate said. "I want to go somewhere they sling the ball a lot, have a good quarterback, have a good offensive line, have a good offensive coordinator. I kind of want it all. I don't know what's going to happen in the future."
For a deeper look at receivers who will be hitting free agency this year, be sure to click here.
