Tony Gonzalez trade rumors: Falcons TE happy in Atlanta

The Falcons have started the season 1-4, making a Super Bowl push almost impossible, but Tony Gonzalez is happy.

Oct 17, 2013, 9:26 PM UTC

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James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.

The Atlanta Falcons are off to a disappointing 1-4 start in 2013, but despite the team's struggles, Tony Gonzalez is happy and won't ask for a trade.

Gonzalez elected to return to the NFL for one more year and is expected to retire at the end of the season. He is a surefire entrant into the Hall of Fame, but a Lombardi Trophy has eluded Gonzalez, prompting discussion whether the Falcons should trade him to a contender and allow him one last shot for a Super Bowl win.

More: More on the Falcons at The Falcoholic

Trade rumors have been swelling in recent weeks as the Falcons continue to falter, but leaving Atlanta hasn’t entered the veteran tight end’s mind.

“I’m still happy as I can be to be a Falcon,” Gonzalez said. “I know there were trade rumors out there. I didn’t ask for a trade. That wasn’t me. I signed up, and this is the team that ... I came back to play with these guys on the team. And I’m enjoying myself, win, lose or draw.
“Obviously I’d rather win. It makes it a lot more fun. But there is no way I would think about jumping ship because I love playing for this team, I love playing for this city.”

The Falcons are coming off a bye week and face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week in a game they should win. A series of injuries has weakened Atlanta's offense, including the news that wide receiver Julio Jones is lost for the season with a foot injury.

At 37 years old, Gonzalez is still playing at an elite level. He’s on pace for over 1,000 yards receiving in 2013 and 10 touchdowns, which would match the second-best season total of his career.

There are plenty of contending teams that could use the services of the veteran tight end, but it appears they’ll need to find a more creative solution than calling Atlanta, as head coach Mike Smith called the notion of trading Gonzalez “preposterous.”