ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ask Matt Patricia what he likes about his offense, and he'll start with the quarterback. And given Matthew Stafford has played the last couple years, that's understandable.



But let him talk long enough -- and that guy loves to talk -- and, man, does it become apparent just how much he loves his receivers in general, and Golden Tate in particular.



"The wide receivers are a major problem to defend," Patricia said this week at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando. "Golden Tate is one of the best. Once the ball is in his hands, forget about it. It's a big problem."



He's right. Since that snowy March day in 2014 -- so snowy that it forced Tate to extend his free-agent visit, and culminated with him signing a five-year deal -- no receiver in the league has broken more tackles than him. Nobody.

Nobody has more yards after the catch either. He had 631 of those yards last year alone. No other receiver in the game had more than 523.

This guy is so good with the ball in his hands, and it has been in his hands a lot. He's caught at least 90 passes all four seasons in Detroit, a franchise record. Yeah, not even Calvin Johnson did that. He has 372 catches with the Lions overall, which already ranks fifth in franchise history even though he's been with the franchise just four years.

At his current pace, he'd break Johnson's franchise receptions record in 2021.



That five-year deal worth $31 million has turned out to be a real bargain for Detroit, especially when you consider just how much the market has exploded at the position in recent years. At $6 million per year, his average salary ranks 34th at the position. For the best wideout in the game with the ball in his hands.

Paul Richardson, who was drafted to replace Tate in Seattle, just signed a five-year deal that averages $8 million annually. And his best season (44 catches, 703 yards) is worse than Tate's average season in Detroit (93 catches, 1,056 yards).



If there's a better bargain among non-rookie deals, you'll be hard-pressed to find it.



But that bargain is about to expire. Tate is entering the final year of his deal, and has been open about his desire to sign an extension. General manager Bob Quinn has said that's something he'll consider this summer, and he said it again last week at the owners meetings.



"I think all those (re-signings) in my time here have happened in the summer," Quinn said. "I think our concentration and our focus right now is on the draft. Things that come down the road after that, they'll come and go and we'll talk through it."



Quinn has done a good job taking care of Detroit's best young talent. He extended big-money extensions to Darius Slay, Theo Riddick and Sam Martin late in his first offseason with the club, then did the same with Matthew Stafford and Glover Quin last year.



Tate could be on deck for a new deal too, though the negotiation could be a tough one. His numbers say he's due for a big pay raise, and you have to figure Tate will want one given how underpaid he's been over the years. But his age -- he'll turn 30 in training camp -- could prevent him from getting top dollar.