Antonio Gates is calling it a career. The legendary Los Angeles Chargers tight end has taken to Twitter to announce his retirement from the NFL, ending an illustrious 16-year career.
Gates, who did not play collegiate football but instead played basketball at Kent State, went undrafted but signed with the Chargers as a free agent in 2003.
He ended up playing in 15 games during his rookie campaign and was impressive, logging 24 catches for 389 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
The following year, Gates broke out, hauling in 81 receptions for 964 yards and 13 scores en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and a First-Team All-Pro selection.
That 2004 season was the first of many great ones for Gates, who proceeded to make eight straight trips to the Pro Bowl between 2004 and 2011, including three consecutive First-Team All-Pro selections between 2004 and 2006.
Gates notched a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns, with his career-high of 1,157 yards coming in 2009, when he snared 79 balls and reached the end zone eight times.
By 2012, Gates' production began to wane, as he caught 49 passes for 538 yards and seven touchdowns. He rebounded with a couple of strong seasons in 2013 and 2014, tallying over 800 yards in both years and recording 12 scores in the latter season, but that was the last time we saw Gates among the NFL's elite.
The 39-year-old had become a relative afterthought in the Chargers' offense in 2017, finishing with just 30 grabs for 316 yards and three touchdowns, and in 2018, he registered 28 receptions for 333 yards and a pair of scores.
Antonio Gates did not play at all in 2019.
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