Matt Patricia on 'Difficult' Golden Tate Trade: It Was the Best Logical Decision

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia believes the decision to trade wide receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles was in the franchise's best interest.

In a Wednesday press conference, Patricia called the Tate deal "difficult" but also the "best logical decision" for the Lions:

"For us, it's again the holistic picture of taking a look at what's best for us to do as a team and in those situations. They are not easy decisions, and they are certainly difficult decisions. Again, for us, it's not about one player. It's about a team. It's about everybody. We have a lot of guys that are really good on this team that can produce, and honestly, for me, we have confidence in everybody on this team right now, that everybody can go out and do their job."

Patricia said he emphasized to Lions players that they can win without Tate as part of the offense.

"There's great players in that room and there's a lot of them and there's a lot of guys that have opportunities to go out there and make plays and go out there and play at a high level, and we're all good with that from that standpoint," he said.

Tate was Detroit's leading receiver with 69 targets, 44 receptions and 517 yards this season. The 30-year-old is in the final year of a five-year deal he signed with the Lions in March 2014.

The loss of Tate moves Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay and T.J. Jones into more prominent roles for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Despite being 3-4 and in last place in the NFC North, the Lions are only one game behind the division-leading Chicago Bears.