Antonio Gates. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Hall of Fame voters need to elect Antonio Gates this time around

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Oct 23, 2024 5:35 PM ET

Pro Football Hall of Fame voters should consider giving former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates a gold jacket after he was seemingly snubbed last year.

On Wednesday, the HOF trimmed its list of 167 modern-era candidates to 50, and Gates made it.

The HOF's full Selection Committee will cut the list to 25 semifinalists in November. Then, it will name 15 finalists at its meeting before Super Bowl LIX. The 2025 class will be announced at "NFL Honors" in New Orleans and enshrined in August in Canton, Ohio.

Gates was eligible for the HOF for the first time last year but missed the final cut. Former Chargers teammate Shawne Merriman thought voters made a mistake.

Antonio Gates not being a first ballot is an absolute embarrassment, they should be ashamed.
— Shawne Merriman (@shawnemerriman) February 9, 2024

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, a HOF safety, was also surprised.

49ers GM John Lynch on Antonio Gates not making the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “Someone asked me today, were there any omissions in the Hall of Fame? A real personal one for me was Antonio Gates. That guy was a tremendous player. When I played against him, I said, that's a Hall…
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) February 28, 2024

Gates' resume certainly reads like a Hall of Famer. In 16 seasons in San Diego and Los Angeles, he made eight Pro Bowls and earned three first-team All-Pro nods. He ranks third among TEs in receptions (955), third in receiving yards (11,841) and first in touchdown catches (116).

According to Pro Football Reference's HOF monitor, his score of 114.63 is above average for the position (97).

Gates never played college football, which makes his career even more impressive.

Gates accepted a scholarship at Michigan State but left after then-head coach Nick Saban refused to let him play football and basketball. After one season at Eastern Michigan, he transferred to Kent State and led the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight during the 2001-02 season.

The Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2003 when he realized he was too short (6-foot-4) to play forward in the NBA and gave football another shot.

Even if Gates doesn't make it this year, he should eventually get in the HOF. Still, why not let him in on his second try when he was deserving the first time?

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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