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Golden Tate Acknowledges Patriots Trade Rumors With Befuddlement

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m., and the Patriots are reportedly looking to add a wide receiver. One of those receivers might be Golden Tate.

This comes as news to Golden Tate.

The Detroit Lions wide receiver must have been casually browsing the world of Twitter on Monday evening when he came upon a tweet from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, which noted that the Patriots are "are particularly interested in Demaryius Thomas and Golden Tate."

This was perhaps the first time Tate had caught wind of such information, based on his reply:

Tate, 30, was named in some Patriots rumors and speculation during training camp, but nothing ever materialized on that front. He has since caught 44 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns in seven games for Detroit this year, on pace to top 1,000 yards for the third straight season and fourth time in his career. The Lions, at 3-4 and in last place in the NFC North, may be looking to sell the receiver, who will become a free agent after the year.

The Patriots acquired Josh Gordon in September and welcomed back the suspended Julian Edelman in Week 5, and the offense has taken considerable steps forward since then. But reports Sunday and Monday indicate that the Patriots are in hot pursuit of adding even more options for Tom Brady.

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