Veteran NFL wide receiver Golden Tate was one of the better wide receivers of the past decade, playing on four NFL teams from 2010 to 2020 and managing to make one Pro Bowl appearance in 2014 with the Detroit Lions.
He never officially announced his retirement from the NFL, but his 2021 campaign saw him be released from the Tennessee Titans practice squad in January.
While it appears that his NFL career may be over, it looks like Tate already has a plan for what he will do in his life outside of football. Tate has signed with the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League to try his hand at baseball for the remainder of the team’s 2022 season.
The 33-year-old was a standout baseball player in high school and even played during his early college career at Notre Dame before ultimately deciding to focus on football.
The former NFL standout was even drafted twice by MLB teams, first by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 42nd round of the 2007 draft out of high school, and then in the 50th round of the 2010 draft by the San Francisco Giants out of college.
Tate released a statement on Tuesday, thanking the Lefties for the opportunity to pursue a sport that he has always loved but left on the back burner in favor of football.
“I am extremely thankful,” said Tate. “To the West Coast League and the Port Angeles Lefties for allowing me to join their league. 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.”
The West Coast League is typically a league that collegiate baseball players play in during the summer, but given how long Tate has been away from the sport, it may be a good chance for him to show what he can do.
It’s unclear if Golden is trying to seriously pursue a career in baseball at the professional level, a la Tim Tebow after his NFL playing career. We should be able to see Tate’s impact on the baseball field immediately, as he is expected to start for the Lefties in center field on Tuesday night.
[Pro Football Talk, WestCoastLeague.com]
