After 538 yards in 15 games in 2012, the illustrious career of San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was supposed to be winding down. It was Gates’ fourth straight year of decline, he was on the wrong side of 30 and the Chargers had just drafted 6’6” tight end Ladarius Green in the fourth round.
Two years later—an eternity in the NFL—the Chargers may finally transition from Gates to Green as their primary tight end. Unlike previous years, it isn’t just Green’s potential and Gates’ decline precipitating a change.
We now know that transitioning away from Gates any sooner would have been premature.