Antonio Gates apparently won't be a first-ballot Hall of Famer until at least 2024.
The NFL's all-time leader in receiving touchdowns among tight ends, Gates is returning to the Chargers for a 16th season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Sunday morning.
This always felt like the likely outcome, even if the Chargers sounded reluctant initially to bring the franchise leader in catches, receiving yards and scores back following TE1 Hunter Henry's ACL tear in May. It should be noted the Chargers placed Henry on the PUP (physically-unable-to-perform) list Saturday, not season-ending IR (injured reserve), as they apparently hold out at least a bit of hope their future star's third NFL campaign can still be partially salvaged.