The Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled 15 finalists who will have the opportunity to enter the Canton as the class of 2024.

The list is headlined by Los Angeles Chargers’ legend Antonio Gates and Carolina Panthers’ standout Julius Peppers. Both Gates and Peppers will appear on the ballot in their first year of eligibility.

Gates spent his entire career with the Chargers, earning eight Pro Bowl nods and four First-team All-Pro selections. During his 16 years in the NFL, Gates made 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns.

Peppers played a decade with the Panthers over the course of two stints while also suiting up for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The former second-overall pick has nine Pro Bowls on his resume, alongside four First-team All-Pro honors. His 159.5 career sacks are the fourth-most since they became an official stat in 1982. Also, only Bruce Smith and Reggie White, both Hall of Famers, had more seasons with double-digit sacks than Peppers (10).

Aside from Gates and Peppers, the list includes returning finalists like Dwight Freeney, Willie Anderson, and Devin Hester. Eric Allen, Rodney Harrison, Fred Taylor, and Jahri Evans are among the players who are finalists for the first time after previously reaching the semi-finals of the process.

The selection committee will first trim the list to 10 names before selecting five candidates that will appear on the voting ballot. Each candidate will need to get 80% of the votes from the voting panel to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The results of the voting will be unveiled on February 8 during the NFL Honors show in Las Vegas.

The post Antonio Gates and Julius Peppers Among the Finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Despite the fact that he is 38-years-old and has 16 NFL seasons under his belt, Los Angeles Chargers’ tight end Antonio Gates isn’t ready to give up professional football. Gates talked with reporters after the 41-28 loss to the the New England Patriots on Sunday and said that he wants to play for the Chargers in 2019 as well.

“I just don’t see myself walking away with this taste,” – said Gates. “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,” – he added.

The chances of Antonio Gates staying with the Chargers, however, are not that great since the team was ready to move on from him after the 2017 season. They informed Gates in April 2018 that he won’t be offered a new contract, wanting to give their young TE Hunter Henry more snaps. Still, after Henry suffered an injury early in the season, the team brought back the veteran, who spent his entire career with the franchise.

“Maybe they felt I was on the brink of whether or not I want to be here or not, and they had to make choices early on,” – said Gates about last year’s free agency. “I want to be sure to remind them that I want to come back. I want to be part of something special, and I think we have that here. But that’s out of my control in the sense where I can only do what I can do. And we’ll see out it goes.”

Antonio Gates finished the 2018 regular season with 28 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He added five receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots.

The post Chargers’ TE Antonio Gates Wants to Return for His 17th NFL Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Back in April, Los Angeles Chargers decided they will not bring back tight end Antonio Gates for the 2018 season. Now it looks like they have changed their mind.

After Hunter Henry tore his ACL last month, Chargers are in a need for another TE and Gates seems like a natural fit. Chargers’ general manager Tom Telesco recently confirmed that the team is interested in the 37-year-old and that he’s been in touch with his representatives.

“Obviously, Antonio would be a natural fit,” – Telesco told 97.3 The Fan. “He’s someone that we have talked to. We’ve talked to his representatives. Sometimes, it’s not just as easy as saying, ‘Hey, let’s just bring him back. Let’s go.’“

One of the reasons why Chargers decided to move on from Antonio Gates in April was the fact that he is coming from statistically the worst season in his career. In 2017 he managed to have career-low 316 receiving yards and only 30 catches. Still, without many attractive TE free agents, Gates’ familiarity with the team’s system and his good relationship with quarterback Phillip Rivers makes him the best choice.

Antonio Gates signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2003 as undrafted free agent and went on to become one of the team’s legends. He played 14 years for the Chargers, and is currently the franchise’s leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. During his career, Gates earned eight Pro-Bowl selections, three First-team All-Pro, and two Second-team All-Pro honors.

The post Los Angeles Chargers Interested in Reunion with TE Antonio Gates appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled 15 finalists who will have the opportunity to enter the Canton as the class of 2024.

The list is headlined by Los Angeles Chargers’ legend Antonio Gates and Carolina Panthers’ standout Julius Peppers. Both Gates and Peppers will appear on the ballot in their first year of eligibility.

Gates spent his entire career with the Chargers, earning eight Pro Bowl nods and four First-team All-Pro selections. During his 16 years in the NFL, Gates made 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns.

Peppers played a decade with the Panthers over the course of two stints while also suiting up for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The former second-overall pick has nine Pro Bowls on his resume, alongside four First-team All-Pro honors. His 159.5 career sacks are the fourth-most since they became an official stat in 1982. Also, only Bruce Smith and Reggie White, both Hall of Famers, had more seasons with double-digit sacks than Peppers (10).

Aside from Gates and Peppers, the list includes returning finalists like Dwight Freeney, Willie Anderson, and Devin Hester. Eric Allen, Rodney Harrison, Fred Taylor, and Jahri Evans are among the players who are finalists for the first time after previously reaching the semi-finals of the process.

The selection committee will first trim the list to 10 names before selecting five candidates that will appear on the voting ballot. Each candidate will need to get 80% of the votes from the voting panel to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The results of the voting will be unveiled on February 8 during the NFL Honors show in Las Vegas.

The post Antonio Gates and Julius Peppers Among the Finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Despite the fact that he is 38-years-old and has 16 NFL seasons under his belt, Los Angeles Chargers’ tight end Antonio Gates isn’t ready to give up professional football. Gates talked with reporters after the 41-28 loss to the the New England Patriots on Sunday and said that he wants to play for the Chargers in 2019 as well.

“I just don’t see myself walking away with this taste,” – said Gates. “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,” – he added.

The chances of Antonio Gates staying with the Chargers, however, are not that great since the team was ready to move on from him after the 2017 season. They informed Gates in April 2018 that he won’t be offered a new contract, wanting to give their young TE Hunter Henry more snaps. Still, after Henry suffered an injury early in the season, the team brought back the veteran, who spent his entire career with the franchise.

“Maybe they felt I was on the brink of whether or not I want to be here or not, and they had to make choices early on,” – said Gates about last year’s free agency. “I want to be sure to remind them that I want to come back. I want to be part of something special, and I think we have that here. But that’s out of my control in the sense where I can only do what I can do. And we’ll see out it goes.”

Antonio Gates finished the 2018 regular season with 28 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He added five receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots.

The post Chargers’ TE Antonio Gates Wants to Return for His 17th NFL Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Back in April, Los Angeles Chargers decided they will not bring back tight end Antonio Gates for the 2018 season. Now it looks like they have changed their mind.

After Hunter Henry tore his ACL last month, Chargers are in a need for another TE and Gates seems like a natural fit. Chargers’ general manager Tom Telesco recently confirmed that the team is interested in the 37-year-old and that he’s been in touch with his representatives.

“Obviously, Antonio would be a natural fit,” – Telesco told 97.3 The Fan. “He’s someone that we have talked to. We’ve talked to his representatives. Sometimes, it’s not just as easy as saying, ‘Hey, let’s just bring him back. Let’s go.’“

One of the reasons why Chargers decided to move on from Antonio Gates in April was the fact that he is coming from statistically the worst season in his career. In 2017 he managed to have career-low 316 receiving yards and only 30 catches. Still, without many attractive TE free agents, Gates’ familiarity with the team’s system and his good relationship with quarterback Phillip Rivers makes him the best choice.

Antonio Gates signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2003 as undrafted free agent and went on to become one of the team’s legends. He played 14 years for the Chargers, and is currently the franchise’s leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. During his career, Gates earned eight Pro-Bowl selections, three First-team All-Pro, and two Second-team All-Pro honors.

The post Los Angeles Chargers Interested in Reunion with TE Antonio Gates appeared first on SportzBonanza.