Antonio Gates was an interesting free agent. Despite being at the age of 37 and not getting a whole lot of snaps for the Los Angeles Chargers, he still showed near the end of the season that he still has something left in the tank. He may not be the elite tight end he once was, with his prime years having ended about three years ago. But he still can be a sneakily dangerous option at times, particularly when a team tries to cover him with a linebacker.
Los Angeles Chargers Sign Antonio Gates
Gates had a strange 2017 season. The first two games he played mostly normal snaps, apparently just so the team could get him his record-breaking 112th touchdown catch, giving him the most in history for any tight end. After that, he officially became the backup to Hunter Henry until Henry went down late in the year. Gates had two good games to close the season afterwards. He finished with only 316 yards (a career low) and three touchdown catches and did seem to have disappeared for most of the season, but he proved at the end that he was not quite finished yet. With Henry injured for the year, Gates is back with the Chargers.
Gates was actually a basketball player in college and didn’t play football. After a few transfers, he played mostly at Kent State University. He gave football a try in 2003 and was signed quickly by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent. He quickly became one of the more prolific tight ends ever. His career stats stand at 11,508 yards and 114 touchdown catches. 87 of those touchdowns have come from quarterback Philip Rivers, making them one of the more dangerous quarterback-to-receiver connections ever.
Gates is the Chargers’ career leader in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He is sixth in league history in career touchdown receptions. He has also been to eight Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors five times.
