Reports: Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez to retire after 2012 season
Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez re-defined how people think about the position. Gonzalez’s athleticism and great hands–he was just as good of a basketball player for the California Bears– allowed the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons to use him as a pass-catching threat, not just an edge blocker.
Gonzalez is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, an honor which may come sooner than we would have thought.
According to this report, Gonzalez indicated in an ESPN chat session based on Facebook today that the 2012 NFL football season will be his last.
Gonzalez is the gold standard for tight ends, through 2011 catching 1,149 passes for 13,338 yards and 95 touchdowns– all records for the position. In short there would have never been an Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Jermichael Finley or Rob Gronkowski without Gonzalez.
While it will be hard for football fans to see him go, at age 36 Gonzalez is likely looking ahead to the next phase of his career which should likely feature him as an analyst for a major network– if he chooses to do so that door will certainly be open.
His one-year $6.9 million dollar extension with the Falcons expires after the 2012 season and will open the door to Gonzalez to move on into other ventures.
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