Golden Tate may not have been discussed as a player to watch with the NFL trade deadline coming up quickly, but he is now. Even though the Detroit Lions are still within striking distance in the NFC North, they could consider making some moves. They could buy or sell at this point in time.

According to a report from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Lions could move Tate ahead of the deadline if they get an offer big enough.

Trading Tate could be a signal that the Lions are ready to go through a bit of a re-tooling process. They may not be willing to completely rebuild yet, but it would make sense to see what they can get for some of their veteran talents.

Tate is one of the most consistently solid wide receivers in the NFL. He has had another good year for the Lions, catching 44 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns. Detroit is very happy with the development of wide receiver Kenny Golladay, which could help them pull the trigger on a Tate trade as well.

At 30 years old, there are plenty of teams that could use a receiver like Tate. One team that is searching for another weapon is the New England Patriots. Tate would be exactly the kind of player that Bill Belichick seems to look for.

All of that being said, the Lions sound like they could be a team to watch ahead of tomorrow's trade deadline. Tate certainly carries value with him and it will be interesting to see if the team moves him.