Gates becomes highest paid tight end in the NFL
The San Diego Chargers have locked down a vital part of their offence by signing tight end Antonio Gates to a five-year contract extension. The deal is worth $36.175 million, which makes him the National Football League’s highest paid tight end.
According to sources the contract, which will run through the 2015 season, has $20.4 million in guarantees and will pay Gates $7.235 million per season.
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith justified the Gates signing via news letter. It read: "Antonio is a special player and person. He is everything we are looking for in a Chargers player. His talent and contributions to our team speak for themselves. His work ethic and desire to be the best are unmatched. He has been a major part of the success we have had over the past several years, and we are thrilled he will continue to be with us for years to come."
Although three of the Chargers’ other big-name players are embroiled in contractual disputes with the team, Gates was the only one with whom talks intensified this week and the only one to be successfully re-signed.
Gates was featured in the press statement as well, and is clearly happy to be rejoining the team that signed him after the Kent State alum went undrafted in 2003. "I've been blessed my whole career to be with one team." Gates said in a statement released by the team. "It's always good to get [the contract] out of the way. The goal is to win a championship. We all are human and it becomes a distraction even though you might not want it to be. It's always great to be able to go ahead and do what you need to do and get it out of the way."
For this championship dream to translate to reality, the Chargers must attempt to retain their three restricted free agent stars: Marcus McNeill, Vincent Jackson, and Shawne Merriman.
McNeill, who protects quarterback Phillip Rivers’s blindside at left tackle, and Jackson, a Pro Bowl receiver who has amassed at least 1000 yards in both of the last two seasons, are upset that they have yet to be offered long-term deals by San Diego. It is likely the two will be sitting out training camp and even the majority of the season if an offer is not made soon. The two would be returning only for the last six games of the season merely to accrue a ‘season’ toward becoming unrestricted free agents.
Gates himself is no stranger to such negotiations. He sat out training camp in 2005 in order to force a larger contract and eventually suffered a three game suspension after Smith countered his protests by placing him on the roster exempt list.
Since entering the NFL, Gates has arguably been the most dominant tight end in the game and an integral part of the Chargers offence. Since his first year, he leads all tight ends with 59 touchdowns. He also ranks second in yards with 6223 and 479 catches rank him third in catches. One of the main reasons for Gates’s signing coming before any other free agents’ is his 2009 career season. Last year Gates led all Chargers with 79 catches and a career-best 1157 yards. He also scored eight touchdowns.
Gates is a huge part of San Diego’s offence, but the team needs to lock down its other free agents in order to be competitive. In recent years, San Diego has underperformed and been unable to start strong. The Chargers are renowned for their end-of-the-season heroics, but Gates’s signing will be a waste unless they can start with and maintain that mentality far earlier than they have been able to in recent memory.
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