Patriots receiver Julian Edelman got handed a contract extension on Thursday night. Now, Golden Tate wants one.

After Tate, the Lions' shifty slot receiver (basically their version of Edelman) saw Edelman's extension, he promptly declared on Twitter that he'd like to be next. No, he did not tag the Lions' Twitter account.

As the Pro Football Focus statistic explained, Tate's been the most elusive receiver in the game since 2014, compiling more missed tackles than Edelman by a wide margin. In Tate's three seasons with the Lions, he's racked up 3,221 yards and 14 touchdowns. In Edelman's past three seasons, he's accumulated 2,770 yards and 14 touchdowns. The biggest difference between the two is that Tate's managed to stay healthy, appearing in all 48 games in that span while Edelman's appeared in just 39 games.

And, of course, Edelman's been able to make big catches in big games due to the Patriots' overwhelming success, which definitely provides a boost to his resume. 

But we shouldn't hold the Lions' lack of playoff success against Tate. They're both great slot receivers. And so, Tate is definitely going to get paid. His contract expires after the 2018 season, and the Lions would be wise to make sure he doesn't have a chance to test the open market, provided he keeps up his level of production during the coming season. 

Tate, who will turn 29 in August, is likely looking at his last chance to make big-time money with a long-term contract. So, it'll be interesting to see if he'll give the Lions a discount like Edelman gave the Patriots.

The Lions also have other priorities, namely securing Matthew Stafford for the long haul. Stafford's deal runs out after 2017.