Seattle Seahawks head honchos, Pete Carroll and John Schneider, have spoken profusely about the desire to retain Golden Tate.
Tate is Around The League's No. 5 rated wide receiver and No. 45 overall free agent heading into March.
Tate told The Seattle Times on Thursday that he hopes to return to the Seahawks but isn't fretting over his future.
"I did the tough part, and that's performing on the field," Tate said. "And hopefully, I can call Seattle home for a few more years. But we'll see. I know that coach Carroll has expressed that he would like to have me on the team, and I have expressed that I would like to stay on this team because I see this team winning for a long time. But we will see. Only time will tell.''
Tate led the Seahawks with 64 receptions for 898 yards and five touchdowns in 2013. Those numbers are likely to be compared to Philadelphia Eagles receiver Riley Cooper's 47 receptions for 835 yards and eight touchdowns.
Cooper recently signed a five-year, $25 million contract. Tate, however, shaded himself in a different light than Cooper.
"I'm not in any way comparing my situation to his because they are very, very different," Tate said.
In the newest "Around The League Podcast," Mr. Chris Wesseling called Tate "90 percent of Hines Ward." High praise, to be sure, but he does make a great point about the importance of Tate in the Seahawks' run-first offense.
The latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast" discusses the top 101 free agents and forecasts the offseasons of the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.