Being one of the most dominant players to ever play his position no longer seems like a surefire Hall of Famer.
Pro Football Hall of Fame voters somehow downplayed iconic tight end Antonio Gates, who appeared on the ballot for the first time, despite scoring the most touchdowns at that position in NFL history.
Gates told TMZ in November that he expected to be selected, but he joined a list that includes modern-day Hall of Famers Julius Peppers, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Patrick Willis and Dwight Freeney. I couldn’t enter.
“You never want to have a thought process that you can’t get into.” Gates said. “The mental part is that in order for you to be the best, you have to think you’re the best. Forever…Mentally I feel like I belong there, but at the end of the day… Well, you can control what you can control, so let’s see what happens.”
Gates’ absence stunned NFL fans, as he is widely considered to be one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the sport.
He was with the Chargers from 2003 to 2018 in both San Diego and Los Angeles, racking up 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns in his legendary career.
Gates, 43, scored four double-digit touchdowns and cleared 1,000 yards twice.
He may not have been as versatile as Rob Gronkowski, but his offensive edge at the position is on par with Travis Kelce.
Gates scored more touchdowns than Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.
His elimination left many in the NFL community stunned.
Former teammate Sean Merriman tweeted: “It’s a complete disgrace that Antonio Gates isn’t the first voter and they should be ashamed.”
Former NFL offensive lineman Rich Ornberger I posted a video with the caption X: “Isn’t Antonio Gates a first-ballot HOFer? Shameful.”
Perhaps NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah sums it up best.
he posted: “Wait, Antonio Gates isn’t in it? Huh?”
