In the summer of 2012, tight end Tony Gonzalez told the Atlanta Falcons he could give them one more year. Then he would retire as one of the greatest tight ends to ever play in the National Football League. Gonzalez followed up that statement by having one of the best seasons of his career. He helped the Falcons go the the NFC Championship game while adding to his already impressive stats. Late in the season, Gonzalez said he was 95 percent positive he would retire, but now, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff believes he is more like 50/50 on returning.
Gonzalez has been adament on the fact that he was retiring. He even raised the number to 97 percent positive after the Falcons won the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. But in the postgame press conference following the NFC Championship loss, Gonzalez would only say that he was "pretty sure" he was retiring, leaving many Falcons' fans pleading for him to stay another season.
"Tony has done so much for us on and off the field and I don't believe, not stating that he would be lying to anyone, but I don't believe the 95 percent. I want to believe it's closer to 50/50, to be honest with you, and we've had discussions. Obviously Mike Smith has had discussions with him. We're all in a good place. Ultimately it's up to Tony to decide if he wants to come back and potentially catch 100 balls again," Dimitroff said to "Pro Talk Football."
In 2012, Gonzalez took a dip in the foutain of youth. He recorded 93 receptions for 930 yards and eight touchdowns. It was one of the best seasons of his storied NFL career. Many think he can come back and deliver the same numbers for at least one more season. With Roddy White, Julio Jones and quarterback Matt Ryan all returning as elite members of the offense, Gonzalez lining up next to them for one more season could mean SUper Bowl chances again for the Falcons.
As Gonzalez approaches 38, he is a 13-time Pro Bowler. He holds NFL records for TD receptions (107) and reception yards (14,268) by a tight end. Dimitroff said that when he looks at the Altanta Falcons roster, Gonzalez is still listed as No .1 tight end and they will not take his name off that list until they absolutely have to.
