Brandon Tate is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football at the University of North Carolina and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Tate spent his first three seasons with the Patriots, primarily as a kick returner. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his rookie season and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice. In 2010, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 9 and was placed on injured reserve.
After being released by the Patriots in 2011, Tate signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played four seasons with the Bengals, primarily as a kick returner and occasional receiver. In 2014, he set a franchise record with 1,068 kickoff return yards.
Tate signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 and played two seasons with the team. He had a career-high 48 receptions for 563 yards and one touchdown in 2016. He also continued to be a productive kick returner, averaging 22.8 yards per return in 2016.
In 2017, Tate signed with the Minnesota Vikings but was released before the start of the regular season. He signed with the New Orleans Saints in November 2017 but was released after just one game.
Tate signed with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in May 2018 but was released before the start of the regular season.
Overall, Tate had a productive career as a kick returner and occasional receiver in the NFL. He returned five kickoffs for touchdowns and had 71 receptions for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns.
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