The Philadelphia Eagles made a splash at the trade deadline with the acquisition of former Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate. It appears the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns had also been in the running for his services.

Tate was undoubtedly one of the bigger names on the market. However, he was admittedly still surprised when the Eagles won the bid, via Jeff Kerr of 247 Sports :

“My mouth kind of dropped (before I got traded to Philadelphia),” Tate said. “It was a shock. I heard from the Browns, I heard the Eagles, I heard the Patriots. Realistically, my brain did not wrap around it until it actually happened. Now here I am and I'm as happy as can be. I know my family is excited to get here.

“I always knew Philadelphia the city is just super passionate about everything they do, especially about their sports teams. I don't know much about Philly, but I have a feeling I'm going to learn quickly.”

Tate had largely served as a safety net for quarterback Matthew Stafford out of the slot. He has registered 44 receptions for 517 yards and three touchdowns thus far in the 2018 NFL season. However, there was still talk about him potentially being dealt at the trade deadline given his status as a free agent after the season.

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New England had emerged as a potential suitor near the deadline. They had also been reportedly interested in former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. They have seemingly committed to surrounding quarterback Tom Brady with as many weapons as possible. Their receiving corps is already loaded with receiving options, especially after their acquisition of wide receiver Josh Gordon a few weeks ago.

Speaking of Gordon, the Browns have struggled to find a complementary option to wide receiver Jarvis Landry ever since his departure. It appears they were hoping Tate could potentially fill that role in the second half o the season. However, Detroit ultimately decided to take Philadelphia's offer.