Chargers GM Tom Telesco left the door open to re-signing veteran TE Antonio Gates this offseason.
“My heart says, yeah, he’ll be back next year,” Telesco said, via the Athletic. “But you put your G.M. hat on, and you look at what’s the role, where are resources are with the cap.
“We’ll come to that conclusion a lot quicker than we did last year.”
Gates told reporters last week that he can’t see himself retiring from the NFL.
“I just don’t see myself walking away with this taste,” Gates said, via ESPN.com. “And plus this team. I think when you add Hunter [Henry] back, and hopefully we get Jason Verrett back — shoot, the sky’s the limit. And I want to be a part of it.
“But that has to be a collective decision. I can’t just want to come back. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Last year, the Chargers made it clear that they were moving on from Gates, but the ACL tear suffered by Hunter Henry led to them re-signing Gates for the 2018 season.
Gates, 38, signed on with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State back in 2003 and has spent his entire 16-year NFL career with the team. He returned to the Chargers last year on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Gates is once against in line to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
In 2018, Gates appeared in all 16 games for the Chargers and caught 28 passes for 333 yards receiving two touchdowns.
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