Golden Tate Reflects on Carson Wentz

Newsweek

a day ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Getting traded midway through an NFL season is tough to deal with for most players in any situation. For the former veteran wide receiver, Golden Tate, he entered an awkward situation with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2018.
During the pre-Jalen Hurts era of Eagles football, the Doug Pederson-led Eagles found themselves in a tricky situation. Despite watching their young franchise quarterback turn in an MVP-caliber season before going down with a knee injury, the Eagles saw Carson Wentz's backup, Nick Foles, lead the team on a shocking Super Bowl run.
Foles was crowned the Super Bowl Champion in 2018, which led many to question whether Wentz was truly fit to be the face of the franchise. As injuries and pressure continued to pile up for Wentz during the post-Super Bowl season, Golden Tate witnessed a young quarterback cracking under pressure.
Recently, the retired wideout recalled his short stint with the Eagles on an episode of 'Bussin' With the Boys.'
"He was a young guy. Obviously, being drafted in the first round and the city of Philadelphia, is hard, man. Everybody knows their sports, and everyone has an opinion. They are not afraid to boo you. You could have 11 straight good games, and one bad game, and you're getting booed," Tate said.
"Dealing with that as a young man is already enough. And you're the quarterback. You're the face of the franchise, and then this happens. Nick comes in and takes you the rest of the way. I know, like, on camera, I'm super happy for the guy. But deep down, you're thinking, 'Man, is this the beginning of the end? How do they view me? Do they even think I was a huge part of the Super Bowl run?' You just got all these thoughts that pop into your head."
When Tate joined the Eagles after a midseason trade between Philadelphia and the Detroit Lions, he was quickly embraced by Wentz, who was still healthy enough to play. The QB-WR duo had a few games together before Wentz was back on the injury report, leaving Tate to catch passes from Foles.
Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to pass during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 15, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to pass during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 15, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
PhotoBetween Tate and Wentz, there doesn't seem to be any bad blood. After all, Tate noted that he was a part of Wentz's small circle while in Philadelphia. As for the rest of the team? The veteran wideout noted that Wentz wasn't as open to maintaining a solid relationship with everybody.
"It felt like with Carson, he had his four to five to six guys that he liked and he hung with, and that was all that mattered," Tate explained.
"Everyone else it felt like, 'Bro, do you want to hang out with me? Do you want to have a relationship? Do you want to have lunch, dinner? Can we do something together?' That's kind of just the feel. I wasn't there long enough, nor did I want to even step into all that and deal with all of that. This is enough."
Wentz's shortcomings as a player and a teammate were well-documented during his time in Philadelphia. While he didn't lose his job to Foles after the 2018 season, the eventual arrival of Jalen Hurts gave the Eagles confidence to move on from Wentz after the 2020 NFL season.