Pete Carroll Comments on Seahawks' Free-Agency Offer to Golden Tate

For just the third time since 2000, the Detroit Lions are headed to the postseason, where they will travel to Seattle and take on No. 1 wide receiver Golden Tate's former team in the Seahawks. 

Tate spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Seattle before signing with the Lions as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. 

His departure from the Seahawks is still being talked about by their head coach, Pete Carroll, who explained to Detroit reporters on a conference call on Tuesday that the team actually tried "to bring him back," via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.

"We made an offer that didn't get communicated really well at the time, and I think he's a terrific player," Carroll said. "I loved him on our team, but you can't keep everybody, and so during the process of the negotiations, he went elsewhere."

Communication aside, Tate disclosed to 710 ESPN Seattle radio that Seattle's offer was "laughable," via Rothstein, though the figures have never been disclosed.

But it's something that's been eating away at Carroll, who said on Tuesday that he "felt bad" and was "disappointed" that Tate didn't feel as though the organization wanted him back.

Instead, he penned a five-year, $31 million deal with the Lions, via Spotrac, and has enjoyed the most successful stretch of his career:

With Seahawks	Stat	With Lions
4 (58)	Years (Games)	3 (48)
264	Targets	407
165	Receptions	280
2,195	Yards	3,221
15	Touchdowns	14

This season saw him lead the Lions with 91 receptions for 1,077 yards to go with four touchdowns. 

Tate has only played his former team once, which came during Week 4 of the 2015 season. He recorded just three receptions for 29 yards as the Lions lost 13-10. 

Yet he still holds the respect of Carroll and the Seahawks. 

"Our players and our coaches, we think the world of him, and he's fun to watch," Carroll said, via Rothstein. "We watch him every week, and we'll have a good time competing against him."

Carroll and Co. are just a few days away from the matchup, which is on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET. Tate will surely be looking for an opportunity to show the Seahawks what they have been missing out on over the past three seasons.