Tony Gonzalez not on the trade block
Ellis Lankster (21) tries to defend Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) during the second quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez has been the subject of much speculation and unfounded rumor regarding the possibility of the Falcons trading the legendary tight end. Some Kansas City Chiefs fans have been mulling over the potential for a reunion with Gonzo, but nobody should be counting on the Falcons dealing him. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated– and rather firmly, from the way I read his tweet- that the Falcons are not looking to trade him.
It has already been well-established that Tony Gonzalez is not looking to leave the Falcons, and I think the Falcons might actually be more buyers than sellers despite the season-ending injury to Julio Jones and their 1-4 record. Steven Jackson and Sean Weatherspoon are two players who are set to get healthy, and the Falcons could somewhat replace Jones by renting out a receiver. This past Sunday, CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora reported that the Falcons are one team having internal discussions about sending a trade for Hakeem Nicks. While this doesn’t establish the Falcons as buyers, it’s hard to believe that the Falcons would be willing to throw in the towel on their season right now.
Acquiring Gonzalez, though, would make an awful lot of sense for the Chiefs, because they could really use a better No. 2 option in the passing attack than Donnie Avery. They already lost their two skilled pass-catching TEs Tony Moeaki and Travis Kelce for the season, so a reunion with Gonzalez would fill that void. On top of that, Alex Smith could use a star tight end to pass it to, and we all know how well he connected with Vernon Davis when playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
But with the way Rapoport reported this, I would be shocked if Tony Gonzalez was shipped out of Atlanta.
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