Tony Gonzalez has until 4:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to be dealt to a Super Bowl contender, but as the trade deadline rapidly approaches does the veteran tight end want his career to end with the Atlanta Falcons? More so, are the Falcons willing to part ways with him after a 2-5 start or is the team hell bent on turning things around to get to the playoffs?
Gonzalez addressed these rumors Monday afternoon and said he wouldn't be the one asking to be traded, despite the fact that he's never won a Super Bowl ring in his career and he only has a couple of months left in his football tenure. With the chance of Atlanta making it to the playoffs growing grimmer each week, Gonzalez, 37, insists that he's not demanding a trade, but he understands why one is heavily speculated.
"I totally understand it," Gonzalez told ESPN on Monday. Everybody out there needs to understand that I'm not naive to it. I see it, too. This is the last [nine] weeks of my career. And right now, things are looking ... you never know."
He added: "But, like I said, I love my guys on this team too much to go ask for a trade. It would be something that would come from them where they said, 'Hey, it makes sense because we could get something good for you and send you to a team that's a contender.' So I understand the thought process behind that."
The Falcons have also been clear on the fact that they're not willing to part ways with Gonzalez, who they received from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 for a second-round draft pick. Head coach Mike Smith referred to the notion of his team trading Gonzalez as "preposterous" a few weeks ago while general manager Thomas Dimitroff stood by his coach's words.
Still, a homecoming with the Chiefs, where he played from 1997-2008, would make for a great story to close out a wonderful career. Add to the fact that the Chiefs are unbeaten at 8-0, and it makes for an intriguing option for a veteran looking for his first taste of the Super Bowl. Despite all of that, Gonzalez insists he's content and it's not up to him anyway, but he would listen.
"You've always got to listen to them in anything. I don't care if you're not open to it or [are], you still listen and see what's up."
Gonzalez is owed $3.7 million this season and has 38 receptions for 395 yards with three touchdowns. Over his 17-year career, he has played in 261 games while garnering 1,280 receptions for 14,663 yards with 106 scores. Gonzalez has made 13 Pro Bowls--the most by any tight end and is a 10-time All-Pro.
Any team would be grateful to get such a dynamic player, but as Gonzalez notes, it's not up to him and as the clock ticks closer to the deadline the football world awaits his fate.
"We'll know by [4] o'clock tomorrow," Gonzalez said via ESPN Monday night. "But, like I said, I'm not going to be the one to go asking for a trade. It will have to come from them."
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