At one point in time, the then-San Diego Chargers offense was a scary sight for any opponent due to the three-headed monster of Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, and now Hall of Famer, LaDainian Tomlinson. Now in Los Angeles, the offense is still a force to be reckoned with, but with two of these three iconic players are no longer sporting Chargers jerseys.

Once the 2018 NFL season gets underway in September, the Los Angeles Chargers will have Rivers under center without his two favorite targets on the field. Tomlinson has been retired for quite some time now, but Gates is still going. The team chose to part ways with their longtime tight end even though he wanted to continue playing. Tomlinson has some advice for his former teammate as Gates moves on from the only franchise he's played for, via TMZ Sports.

“I think he should retire a Charger,” Tomlinson said … “I definitely think he still can play, though.”

“[Gates] became known as one of the greatest Chargers ever. I would hate to see him put on another uniform. It just doesn't seem right.”

At this point, Gates could ultimately decide to take his former teammate's advice and call it a career. Tomlinson knows a thing or two about Gates' current situation as he ended his career with the New York Jets in disappointing fashion.

It may be a little late in the NFL free agency process for the veteran tight end to find a new job in the league in which he'd play a sizable role.

However, injuries run rampant throughout the NFL before, during and after the season. This means there may still be an opportunity that intrigues Gates from now until the start of the 2018 campaign in September.

Last season in Los Angeles, Gates had the worst year of his career in terms of on-field production since his rookie year in 2003. He took a backseat to up-and-comer Hunter Henry and finished with 30 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns