Carnell Tate Reveals NFL QB He Wants to Play With, Talks Ohio State vs. Indiana with Caleb Downs

Former Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate named the Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints as two teams he would be interested in playing for next season.

When asked on a new episode of the Downs 2 Business podcast with Josh and Caleb Downs where he wants to play, Tate answered, "I just want to go somewhere that's targeting me. That's all I can ask for."

Tate continued, "I'd love to go play with Josh Allen. He can get you the ball. He's experienced. The Saints with Tyler [Shough], Tyler's been balling."

Tate and Downs also discussed their loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 6.

When asked if the Buckeyes would be able to win a rematch with the defending national champions, both Tate and Downs answered, "Yes."

Tate declared for the 2026 NFL draft earlier this month after his junior season with Ohio State. He is projected by Bleacher Report as a top-ten pick in the upcoming draft.

The Saints are heading into the 2026 draft with the No. 8 pick, while the Bills are not currently slated to draft until No. 26.

A B/R mock draft from earlier this month projected the Saints drafting Tate with the No. 8 pick.

Tate named the Seattle Seahawks' Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua as two receivers getting the kind of target share he's hoping to see with his first NFL team.

Smith-Njigba and Nacua were two of just seven receivers to get more than 30 percent of their team's target share last season, per SūmerSports.

Other receivers in the category included the New York Jets' Garrett Wilson, Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, Atlanta Falcons' Drake London and Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson.

The Bills didn't have an obvious WR1 last season, with Khalil Shakir leading the team with 719 receiving yards in 16 games.

The Saints have a top wideout in Chris Olave, who is signed through next season on a 2026 club option. Tate nodded when Josh Downs said he and Olave would "complement each other well."

Tate recorded 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns through 11 games in his final college season on a roster also featuring star wideout Jeremiah Smith.

B/R NFL scout Damian Parson described Tate as "a great route-runner and separator with springy athleticism" who "has outstanding ball skills and leaping ability to high-point the ball in contested-catch situations."

Tate will hope whichever team ends up targeting him for those skills has a top quarterback and targets available for a rookie wideout in 2026.