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The Atlanta Falcons had one of their best years in franchise history in 2012. Going 13-3 with their first playoff win under Mike Smith and Matt Ryan, was a huge weight off their shoulders. Ryan said throughout the end of the season and playoffs that their goal wasn’t just a playoff win, but a Super Bowl ring. They came up short with a narrow loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta’s Tight End, was an enormous factor in their success this season. He led the Falcons with 93 receptions for 930 yards and 8 touchdowns…no signs of decline from the vet there. Despite all of his success, Gonzalez claims he is 95% sure it was his last season in a uniform. Mike Smith and company are clinging onto that other 5%. Atlanta linebacker, Sean Weatherspoon, believes Gonzalez is coming back. He said that if the Falcons had a bad year, it’d be a lot easier to go into retirement. I think Sean’s right. How do you step away from a team with all the talent in the world and on the verge of a Lombardi Trophy?

The Falcons’ GM, Thomas Dimitroff, also is working hard on trying to get Gonzalez to stay. There’s no set deadline for TG to make his decision, but obviously, the sooner they know the answer, the sooner they can move forward. We’ll see what the future hall of famer decides. It’s a long offseason of training camp and practices…but if they end up in the Meadowlands for the Super Bowl in 2014, it’s more than worth it.

Image Sources: zimbio.com, bleacherreport.com

Can Falcons Get Gonzalez To Return?