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Lions receiver Golden Tate was surprised he didn't draw more interest on the free-agent market -- including from Seattle. (Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- The clock struck 4 p.m. on March 12, and Golden Tate thought his phone was about to blow up.

It was, after all, the start of free agency.

"I'm not going to lie: I thought I would be a hot commodity," Tate said. "I thought I'd have seven or eight teams want me.

"That wasn't the case at all."

The Detroit Lions expressed the most interest, and eventually landed Tate with a five-year, $31 million contract. They beat out the Jets and Jaguars, as well as an offer from the Seahawks that Tate has characterized as "laughable."

And that offer surprised him, considering he led Seattle in receiving with 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns last season. Plus, they won a Super Bowl.

"Their problem," Tate said. "Now they don't have me or Percy (Harvin)."

The Seahawks rank 31st in passing and are struggling to find a No. 1 receiver. Doug Baldwin leads them with 38 catches for 440 yards. Quarterback Russell Wilson is on pace for career-worsts in accuracy, yards, touchdowns and passer rating.

Tate, meantime, ranks second in the NFL with 66 catches. His 909 yards rank fourth.

Seattle receivers combine for one 100-yard game this season. Tate's had five in the past six weeks, one of the biggest reasons Detroit went 3-0 without Calvin Johnson.

The Lions lead the NFC North at 7-2, and could climb to the top of the conference with a win Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals (8-1).

Everything that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and head coach Jim Caldwell said during their free-agent pitch to Tate so far has come to fruition.

"I knew Calvin was going to get all the No. 1 cornerbacks," Tate said. "He was going to get all the attention, all the double-coverages, which would leave me on the back side in single coverage. So as a receiver who has a lot of confidence, and how I envision affecting the team, it has worked out perfectly.

"Most importantly, we're winning ballgames. That's all that matters. I was OK with having 30 yards a game last year because we were winning and Super Bowl champs. The fact now I get to ball out, and also win games, it doesn't get any better."

Tate has been absolutely terrific since joining the Lions, which makes one wonder why Seattle did so little to re-sign him.

"They thought they had five, six, seven top receivers (to choose from) in this (draft) class, so there wasn't a need to pay a lot of money when you could get a rookie for pennies, I guess, relatively speaking," Tate said. "So maybe that's why. But I'm here, I'm wanted here, we're sitting 7-2 and I'm playing decent football."

Seattle went on to select Colorado receiver Paul Richardson in the second round of the draft, then Alabama receiver Kevin Norwood in the fourth round. Those guys combine for 14 catches for 108 yards and no touchdowns so far this season.

Tate did add that he doesn't harbor ill-will toward the Seahawks, who selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft.

"I still root for the Seahawks," he said. "That's the team that drafted me, that's the team that gave me the opportunity to be in this position. So I have a lot of respect and appreciation for Seattle.

"I wish the best for them ... except when the play us, obviously."

The Lions do not play the Seahawks in the regular season, which means such a meeting would have to occur in the playoffs.

"Fate will unwind as it must, my English teacher told me," Tate said of a potential matchup against his old team in the postseason. "I think that's Beowulf."

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