There wasn’t outrage when former Los Angeles Chargers tight end, Antonio Gates, was passed over in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year. It was met with a collective, “huh?” It was so obvious that Gates should have been selected that the only response appropriate was confusion.
In a new article predicting the next 10 Hall of Fame classes, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell rectifies this by putting Gates in the Hall in 2025.
Gates HOF Bound In 2025
“I was a little surprised Gates didn’t make it in with the 2024 class, frankly.” writes Barnwell, “The longtime Chargers standout made eight straight Pro Bowls at his peak and ranks third among tight ends in career receiving yards, trailing Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. Gates hung around for a long time, which can hurt a player’s chances if they’re not performing at a high level, but we’re talking about one of the best players at his position in NFL history.
The Case For the Chargers Great
He tallied 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns in his legendary career, spanning 2003-18 with the Chargers — both in San Diego and Los Angeles. Gates was also a member of five Associated Press All-Pro teams and is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team (2000-09). He was also honored on the Chargers’ 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Gates was among the 15 finalists but ultimately lost out to Devin Hester, Dwight Freeney, Andre Johnson, Patrick Willis, and Julius Peppers. Peppers was the only player selected who had a higher HOFm grade from Pro Football Reference, a monitoring score indicating a player’s chance of election
If selected Gates would be the 12th Chargers player to be enshrined in Canton, OH if selected, joining Lance Alworth, Bobby Beathard, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Sid Gillman, Charlie Joiner, Ron Mix, Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson, Kellen Winslow and Don Coryell.
While the Gates snub was one of the more egregious misses for the HOF, longer-than-expected waits are not a new thing for Chargers fans. Coach Coryell was made to wait over 30 years. He was honored posthumously.
