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It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Philip Rivers wants Antonio Gates back with the Chargers.
According to Jack Wang of the O.C. Register, Rivers would be all for bringing back Gates.
Philip Rivers, on possibility of Chargers bringing back Antonio Gates: "I'd always be excited if he walked back in the door. ... It would get my vote."
— Jack Wang (@thejackwang) May 29, 2018
With Hunter Henry done for the season after suffering a torn ACL on the first day of OTAs, Gates has been one of the more popular options among Chargers fans.
The future Hall of Famer will bring familiarity into the Los Angeles locker room, and a much needed receiving threat. Last season Gates proved there was still something in the tank as he found the end zone three times and caught 30 passes for 316 yards.
Plus, the other tight ends on the roster have little to know experience as a receiver. Virgil Green was signed to help block and has 807 receiving yards in his entire career. While Sean Culkin, Braedon Bowman, Cole Hunt, and Ben Johnson have a combined zero catches in their career.
Gates may not solve all of the problems the Chargers will have after losing Henry, but it would make Rivers quite happy.
The Rivers-Gates connection has been the best in NFL history. The duo has connected on 87 touchdown passes, a record for quarterback-tight end tandems. Could they have one last run in them before Gates (or Rivers) hangs them up?
Gates may not be the player he once was, but Rivers doesn’t trust anyone as much as he trusts 85. The Chargers are now in desperate need for a reliable red zone threat and even though he’ll be 38 in a few weeks he can still get open for six.