Former Pro Bowl WR Golden Tate signs with college summer baseball team

A well-known former NFL player is pulling a Tim Tebow of sorts.

The Port Angeles Lefties, a college summer baseball team, announced on Tuesday that they have signed former Pro Bowl wide receiver Golden Tate for the remainder of their 2022 season. The 34-year-old Tate becomes the first former NFL player to play in the Lefties’ West Coast League (though Jake Locker and Jordan Poyer both played in the WCL before their NFL careers).

Tate had played in the NFL since 2010, winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. He also made the Pro Bowl the next year as a Detroit Lion. Tate was on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad in 2021 but got released within a couple of months without appearing in a single game.

The veteran receiver Tate is actually technically switching back to baseball, having played the sport in high school, then in college at Notre Dame. Tate was even twice drafted into Major League Baseball, once as a high schooler by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 and then out of college by the San Francisco Giants in 2010. But he chose not to sign either time and pursued his NFL career instead.

“I am extremely thankful to the West Coast League and the Port Angeles Lefties for allowing me to join their league,” Tate said in a statement. “As some might know, I was drafted twice in baseball. As a child, my first love was baseball, so I’m excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best young players in the league. I look forward to having a lot of fun and exploring baseball more.”

Tate was known for some spectacular catches in the NFL. Now he will get a chance to bring that same energy to center field for the Lefties. In fact, Tate is already starting Tuesday’s game against the visiting Bend Elks, the Lefties announced in the release.