Future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez gave fans and spectators the idea that he'd be retiring from the NFL at the conclusion of the Atlanta Falcons post-season run, now it appears that he's changed his mind about things.
Gonzalez, who had never won a playoff game, helped the Falcons to reach the NFC Championship and come within five yards of a Super Bowl berth.
After going all season with questions about whether he'll call it a career, now he's "not totally certain." Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff has said the odds of Gonzalez retiring have dropped from 95 percent to 50/50, and others on the team have pushed hard for one more year.
A player close to him: "I think if the circumstances are right, Tony will come back.''
Gonzales' stats speak for themselves, his 1,242 receptions rank second all time, his 103 touchdowns rank sixth all time and his 14,268 yards rank seventh all time. In addition the tight end has been selected to 13 Pro Bowls and is a 10-time All Pro.
He was an integral cog in the Falcons offense, catching 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Falcons have made it clear that they are not in a rush to have their star tight end retire, and according to sources to ESPN, convincing Gonzalez to return is currently the team's top priority.
Atlanta's general manager, Thomas Dimitroff, made the organization's feelings clear last week in a plea to the star tight end to come back for another season. ESPN reported Dimitroff said, "A guy who is 36 (years old) catching 100-plus balls (including the postseason), it just doesn't seem like it's time for him to move on."
The general manager continued, "Tony's a man and he's got to make his own decision. Suffice it to say that it's not going to be an easy decision for him one way or another because he knows that he still has fuel in the tank and it's very legitimate fuel in the tank."
