Getty Free agent Golden Tate (then with the New York Giants) interestingly expressed interest in playing for the Los Angeles Rams on the radio this week. But joining the Rams not only makes him teammates with Matthew Stafford again, but will be in the same locker room with someone he fought with in the October 2020 loss to the Rams last year: Jalen Ramsey, which was over a family dispute.
Golden Tate is still searching for the place that will allow him to play his 12th season in the league and leaked out one interesting destination spot on Sirius XM Radio on June 21: The Los Angeles Rams.
That’s right. Not only is the 32-year-old Tate eyeing a reunion with his former Detroit Lions teammate Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles, but the move could pair him back with an old adversary: Jalen Ramsey. The same Ramsey who was involved in a postgame brawl with Tate after the Rams’ 17-9 home win over Tate’s Giants in October 2020.
Tate, though, stated his past success with Stafford as to why he’s interested in rejoining him on the same roster.
“I had my best years with Stafford,” Tate told Sirius XM NFL Radio, later telling Rams fans what they’re getting out of Stafford. Saying, “Look Ram fans, if I were you guys, you had a really good quarterback in Jared Goff but this guy, No. 9 Matthew Stafford, is next level. This guy is going to come in and compete, keep his head down, he’s a great locker room guy, he’s tough as nails which stands out the most to me and he can make any throw on the field. He’s going to keep you in games no matter what the score is.”
“I would love to go back home to Tennessee. Indy, over with Carson Wentz. Obviously, the LA Rams would be fantastic with Stafford”
Free Agent WR @ShowtimeTate has his eye on a few teams he would play for in 2021.
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But again, while Tate shares a more positive past with Stafford, his past with Ramsey is the opposite, which involved a family feud.
The Tate/Ramsey Rift
Here’s where it runs deep between the wideout and cornerback: Tate is an uncle because of Ramsey.
But on October 4, 2020, the then-Giant Tate got into a heated physical altercation with Ramsey. It began with a ferocious hit Ramsey delivered to Tate in the fourth quarter on a bubble screen. Then the game ended with a postgame scuffle between the two with punches exchanged. The reason behind the animosity between the two? Ramsey left Tate’s sister Breanna, who has two children with the cornerback, for another woman.
Former Eagles WR Golden Tate and Jalen Ramsey exchanged punches after Giants loss to Rams
Jalen dumped Tate’s sister who was pregnant with their baby last year
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Even before the postgame brawl, Tate expressed his distaste for Ramsey in a October 2019 interview with the New York Post, saying “I’m not happy at all with the disrespect that he’s shown towards my sister, and the things he’s done in the past.”
After the brawl finally dispersed, Ramsey wanted to scrap some more with Tate, ESPN NFL Nation reporter Jordan Raanan reported.
Tate addressed the situation four days later with New York media, saying he and his sister had a lengthy conversation about the altercation with Ramsey.
Tate Feels Like Wine
Sure, the incident with Ramsey is attached to Tate’s NFL resume. But also on his resume are four 90-catch and three 1,000-yard seasons, all with the Lions and with Stafford slinging him the ball.
His numbers declined with the Giants, but that’s not stopping Tate from continuing to believe in his own abilities this far into his career, saying on the radio:
“To me, I feel like a fine wine: I get better with age. I haven’t had any major injuries. For the most part, I’m on the field and I feel I’ve been great in the locker room. Unfortunately, last year with COVID and everything going on, just didn’t go my way with getting the ball but I made the most of the opportunities that I did have. When I did get the ball in my hands, I was making contested catches in the slot, down the field, wherever it may be. I’m just looking forward to just getting opportunities. Once I get opportunities, I’ll prove how good I am and how good I’ve been over the years.”
Outside of L.A., he cited Indianapolis and Tennessee as two other possible destinations. But he’s also open to a return to the NFC West where he won the 2014 Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, saying “I really like the entire NFC West, to be honest.”
But judging by the Rams’ deep WR room with DeSean Jackson on board and the addition of three receivers through the 2021 draft, plus the past beef he had with Ramsey, it’s best for Tate to catch passes from someone not named Matthew Stafford.