NFL Rumors: Could the San Diego Chargers trade Antonio Gates?
The San Diego Chargers have found an heir apparent to Antonio Gates, so could the veteran tight end be on the trade block?
After nearly blowing another fourth quarter lead, the San Diego Chargers moved to 2-4 on the season with a 21-13 win over the Denver Broncos Thursday night. Talk of head coach Mike McCoy’s job security can be put aside for a bit, but a win over a better team on a short week hardly means the Chargers are headed for a winning season.
Some trade speculation has surrounded Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers, with former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson suggesting trading Rivers on NFL Network. But Antonio Gates could also start becoming the subject of trade rumors, and unlike Rivers the Chargers have a replacement for their veteran tight end.
The Chargers drafted Hunter Henry in the second round of this year’s draft (35th overall), as the theoretical heir apparent to Gates. He needed Gates to be sidelined by a hamstring injury to get an opportunity, but after a six-catch, 83-yard effort with a touchdown against the Broncos, Henry has 18 receptions (24 targets) for 290 yards and three touchdowns over the last four games. Gates has been back in uniform in the last two games, albeit over a shorter than normal time frame, but Henry got more snaps and clearly out-produced Gates (two catches for 16 yards) on Thursday night.
Gates has spent his entire career with the Chargers, but he’s nearing the end at 36 years old. His best days are clearly behind him, but as recently as 2014 (69 catches for 821 yards and 12 touchdowns) he was highly productive. Any contending team with a need at tight end would surely have interest in a player like Gates, assuming he can be healthy.
Gates signed a two-year, $11 million deal with San Diego last offseason, but most of the $6 million guaranteed is front-loaded into this season. Taking on the rest of this year’s salary should not prevent any team from having interest in trading for Gates, particular if said team feels they can bolster a possible playoff run by adding him.
Among teams that could have interest in Gates, the Cincinnati Bengals immediately come to mind. Tight end Tyler Eifert’s health continues to be a question, and head coach Marvin Lewis probably needs to finally win a playoff game this year to secure his employment for 2017. Even a notoriously stingy owner like Mike Brown can justify taking on what will be left of Gates’ salary, and the Bengals could use another passing game weapon to take attention away from A.J. Green.
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The Chargers may not look to unload any veteran players ahead of the NFL trade deadline, which is 4:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 1. But all evidence suggests they should be open to the possibility, and Gates is the most obvious trade asset for general manager Tom Telesco.