Since being let go by the Los Angeles Chargers to near the start of the offseason, former Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates has been floating in the open market.

With the start of the regular season around the corner, there has yet to be any serious conversation concerning his potential return to another the league with another NFL team. During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, former star tight end Tony Gonzalez voiced that if he were Gates, he would retire from the NFL.

With just over a week until the regular season begins … that doesn't seem like it's happening — and Gonzalez tells us that would spell the end of his career if he were Antonio.

“I probably [would hang them up], but that's me,” Tony says.

Gates is at the tail end of his career that has seen his production continue to dip over the last few seasons that has pushed him to be the secondary option at the position for the Chargers this past year with Hunter Henry stepping up in that spot. However, what has been most telling is the lack of significant interest in him from Los Angeles over the last couple of months with Hunter out for the season with an ACL tear.

The Chargers have consistently spoken about the possibility of bringing Gates back, but it hasn't come to fruition. He has many comforts playing in the offense along with a strong connection with quarterback Philip Rivers that the two have built together over the years. Despite all that, there has been little to no movement toward getting him back on the field before the season starts to get his legs under him.

Regardless of what Gates decides to do, he has put together a Hall of Fame career as he’s just the second tight end and ninth player overall to record 100 career touchdown receptions. He is also currently 13th in overall touchdowns and sixth in touchdown receptions, leading all active players.