In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Chargers losing tight end Hunter Henry to a torn ACL, speculation about a potential reunion between the team and Antonio Gates has continued to grow.
Now you can count quarterback Philip Rivers, who played with Gates for 15 seasons, among those who want to see the organization bring back the 37-year-old tight end.
Lynn said that he spoke with Antonio Gates last week. Philip Rivers spoke with him as well, and said a Gates’ return would get his vote.
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) May 29, 2018
Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn spoke with Gates last week, though didn’t indicate whether or not it involved discussions of a potential return to the team.
A future Hall of Famer, Gates is just one of three active players with 100-plus touchdowns in his career and ranks 30th in league history for receiving yards (11,508).
Last season with the Chargers, he finished with 30 receptions, 316 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a secondary role to Henry.
If Gates were to return, he would be just 112 receiving yards short of passing Calvin Johnson for 29th on the all-time list and 492 yards shy of becoming just the 27th player to surpass 12,000 receiving yards in a career.