The Facts: Tate will be a free agent on March 11 and would like to stay with the team. “I have expressed that I would like to stay on this team because I see this team winning for a long time. But we will see,” he said.

Diehards Line: Teams can begin negotiating with free agents March 8, and can begin signing them March 11. Teams have until Monday to designate someone as a franchise player. But Seattle general manager John Schneider said last week the Seahawks don’t plan to put that designation on any player. And for pending free agents such as Tate, all of that means a few more weeks of uncertainty, with the knowledge that crunch time is coming soon. “I really can’t worry about it because I did my part,’’ said Tate, who led Seattle with 64 receptions for 898 yards in 2013 and also became one of the better punt returners in the NFL, averaging 11.5 yards. ... In the immediate aftermath of the team's Super Bowl win, Tate hinted at the possibility of a hometown discount. He backed off that comment later. We'll see where it ends up, but the Seahawks don't seem likely to overpay. Tate, who said he hopes to have an offer from the Seahawks around the time of the beginning of the free-agency period, said he did notice Thursday that Philadelphia signed receiver Riley Cooper to an extension of five years for $25 million, with a reported $10 million guaranteed. Cooper had similar numbers to Tate in 2013. ... Stay tuned.