There are football players that leave a lasting impact on the NFL.
But there's a small group of them that revolutionize the game while they are playing.
Antonio Gates certainly belongs in that latter category.
And the legendary Chargers tight end will now be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after Gates was officially announced Thursday night as a member of the Class of 2025.
It's easy to currently think of the tight end position as a focal point of NFL offenses.
Travis Kelce, George Kittle and the modern crop of tight ends have Gates to thank for that.
Other players who came after Gates — including Rob Gronkowski — do, too.
And Gronkowski recently echoed that same thought as he highlighted Gates' last legacy in the NFL.
Gates, of course, has 116 touchdown catches, which is an NFL record for tight ends and a number that ranks seventh all-time.
But he also tallied 93 red-zone touchdown catches from the 20-yard line and in. For reference, those 93 scores would rank 14th all-time on their own ... and are one more than Gronkowski had in his entire career.
"The guy has the most touchdowns ever by a tight end," Gronkowski recently told Chargers.com. "Everyone knows me as the red-zone threat, and I still don't even have as many touchdowns as Antonio Gates.
"That speaks volumes right there because I wanted that record and I didn't even come close to getting that record," Gronkowski said. "I'm off by 24 touchdowns still to this day."
Chargers Legend Antonio Gates' 116 career touchdown receptions ranks No. 1 all-time among tight ends, with the Bolts holding a 53-39 record when Gates found the endzone. Take a look back at each score from his legendary career.
Touchdown #1 | November 9, 2003 vs Minnesota | Passer: Doug Flutie
Touchdown #2 | November 30, 2003 vs Kansas City | Passer: Doug Flutie
Touchdown #3 | October 3, 2004 vs Tennessee | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #4 | October 10, 2004 vs Jacksonville | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #5 | October 10, 2004 vs Jacksonville | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #6 | October 31, 2004 vs Oakland | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #7 | October 31, 2004 vs Oakland | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #8 | November 7, 2004 vs New Orleans | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #9 | November 7, 2004 vs New Orleans | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #10 | November 7, 2004 vs New Orleans | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #11 | November 21, 2004 at Oakland | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #12 | November 28, 2004 at Kansas City | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #13 | November 28, 2004 at Kansas City | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #14 | December 19, 2004 at Cleveland | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #15 | December 26, 2004 at Indianapolis | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #16 | September 25, 2005 vs New York Giants | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #17 | October 10, 2005 vs Pittsburgh | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #18 | October 23, 2005 at Philadelphia | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #19 | October 30, 2005 vs Kansas City | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #20 | October 30, 2005 vs Kansas City | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #21 | October 30, 2005 vs Kansas City | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #22 | November 20, 2005 vs Buffalo | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #23 | December 4, 2005 vs Oakland | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #24 | December 11, 2005 vs Miami | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #25 | December 24, 2005 at Kansas City | Passer: Drew Brees
Touchdown #26 | September 11, 2006 at Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #27 | October 8, 2006 vs Pittsburgh | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #28 | October 15, 2006 at San Francisco | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #29 | October 22, 2006 at Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #30 | November 26, 2006 vs Oakland | Passer: LaDainian Tomlinson
Touchdown #31 | December 3, 2006 at Buffalo | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #32 | December 10, 2006 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #33 | December 10, 2006 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #34 | December 31, 2006 vs Arizona | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #35 | September 9, 2007 vs Chicago | Passer: LaDainian Tomlinson
Touchdown #36 | September 16, 2007 at New England | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #37 | October 7, 2007 at Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #38 | October 28, 2007 vs Houston | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #39 | October 28, 2007 vs Houston | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #40 | November 18, 2007 at Jacksonville | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #41 | November 25, 2007 vs Baltimore | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #42 | November 25, 2007 vs Baltimore | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #43 | December 9, 2007 at Tennessee | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #44 | September 7, 2008 vs Carolina | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #45 | September 22, 2008 vs New York Jets | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #46 | September 28, 2008 at Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #47 | October 12, 2008 vs New England | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #48 | October 26, 2008 vs New Orleans in London | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #49 | November 9, 2008 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #50 | December 21, 2008 at Tampa Bay | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #51 | December 21, 2008 at Tampa Bay | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #52 | October 4, 2009 at Pittsburgh | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #53 | October 4, 2009 at Pittsburgh | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #54 | November 29, 2009 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #55 | November 29, 2009 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #56 | December 13, 2009 at Dallas | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #57 | December 20, 2009 vs Cincinnati | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #58 | December 25, 2009 at Tennessee | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #59 | January 3, 2010 vs Washington | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #60 | September 13, 2010 at Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #61 | September 19, 2010 vs Jacksonville | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #62 | September 19, 2010 vs Jacksonville | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #63 | September 26, 2010 at Seattle | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #64 | October 3, 2010 vs Arizona | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #65 | October 3, 2010 vs Arizona | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #66 | October 10, 2010 at Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #67 | October 24, 2010 vs New England | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #68 | October 31, 2010 vs Tennessee | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #69 | December 5, 2010 vs Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #70 | October 23, 2011 at New York Jets | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #71 | November 6, 2011 vs Green Bay | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #72 | November 20, 2011 at Chicago | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #73 | November 27, 2011 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #74 | December 11, 2011 vs Buffalo | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #75 | December 11, 2011 vs Buffalo | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #76 | January 1, 2012 at Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #77 | October 15, 2012 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #78 | October 15, 2012 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #79 | November 1, 2012 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #80 | November 11, 2012 at Tampa Bay | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #81 | December 16, 2012 vs Carolina | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #82 | December 23, 2012 at New York Jets | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #83 | December 30, 2012 vs Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #84 | September 22, 2013 at Tennessee | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #85 | September 29, 2013 vs Dallas | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #86 | November 17, 2013 at Miami | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #87 | December 29, 2013 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #88 | September 14, 2014 vs Seattle | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #89 | September 14, 2014 vs Seattle | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #91 | October 5, 2014 vs New York Jets | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #92 | October 5, 2014 vs New York Jets | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #93 | October 12, 2014 at Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #94 | October 19, 2014 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #95 | October 23, 2014 at Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #96 | October 23, 2014 at Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #97 | December 14, 2014 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #98 | December 20, 2014 at San Francisco | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #99 | December 20, 2014 at San Francisco | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #100 | October 12, 2015 vs Pittsburgh | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #101 | October 12, 2015 vs Pittsburgh | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #102 | November 29, 2015 at Jacksonville | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #103 | November 29, 2015 at Jacksonville | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #104 | January 3, 2016 at Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #105 | September 18, 2016 vs Jacksonville | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #106 | October 9, 2016 at Oakland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #107 | October 30, 2016 at Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #108 | November 6, 2016 vs Tennessee | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #109 | November 13, 2016 vs Miami | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #110 | December 24, 2016 at Cleveland | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #111 | January 1, 2017 vs Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #112 | September 17, 2017 vs Miami | Passer: Philip Rivers | SETS NFL RECORD FOR TOUCHDOWNS BY A TIGHT END
Touchdown #113 | December 16, 2017 at Kansas City | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #114 | December 24, 2017 at New York Jets | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #115 | September 30, 2018 vs San Francisco | Passer: Philip Rivers
Touchdown #116 | November 18, 2018 vs Denver | Passer: Philip Rivers
We could spend hours listing off Gates' impressive resumé ... or wondering how Gates wasn't a first-ballot choice a year ago.
His 955 career receptions are a Chargers record and rank 21st all-time and fourth among tight ends.
His 11,841 yards are also a franchise record and also fourth among players at his position.
But it's that touchdown total that blows everyone else out of the water.
Gates made a living in the end zone with those 116 scores, using his 6-foot-4 and 255-pound frame to box out and slither past defenders as if he were back dominating the paint on the hardwood at Kent State.
Keep in mind that Gates played high school football in Detroit but then didn't see a football field again until after his college hoops career ended after he took Kent State to the 2002 Elite Eight.
Drew Brees recently recalled what Gates was like in those early days.
"He spent the first six weeks of that year figuring out how to put his hand in the dirt and play the tight end position," Brees told Chargers.com. "There was no doubt he was a raw talent. He knew how to get open, he knew how to box guys out. He knew how to put himself in a position where you had a place to throw the ball.
"But a lot of just the nuances to playing the tight end position — understanding blocking responsibilities, understanding leverage in the run game — those were all things that were totally new, totally foreign," Brees added.
Gates stuck with it and eventually started to thrive. The beginning of a Hall-of-Fame career was blossoming.
He eventually made eight Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro five times, with three of those selections landing him on the First-Team.
Along the way, Gates set the NFL record for multi-touchdown games by a tight end with 21. He also notched eight seasons with eight-plus receiving touchdowns, the most ever by a tight end and tied for fifth all-time.
And he was clutch on third downs, with his 39 career touchdown receptions on that down ranking first among all tight ends and tied with Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter for third overall.
If you step back and look at it, Gates' numbers are simply staggering.
"If you just want to look at statistics, if you just want to look at longevity, if you want to look at consistency, if you want to look at durability, this is to me an extremely obvious choice when it comes to what Antonio Gates accomplished throughout his career," Brees recently said about Gates' candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
Former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson, a Hall of Famer himself, added: "Antonio's candidacy is more than just stats, which by themselves are remarkable. It's more than stats. His candidacy is about legacy. One that could be seen in the way he inspired his teammates, challenged opponents and coaches. He elevated the tight end position to new heights and inspired an entire generation of young athletes. Quite simply, Antonio changed the game."
That about sums it up.
A kid from Detroit switched from a college basketball career to the NFL on the fly, working himself into one of the game's most dangerous offensive weapons wherever he was at on the field.
Some players are fortunate enough be called one of the best players of their era.
But only a select few are looked at as the best their position has ever seen.
That's the elite company Gates has earned.
Canton has called for Antonio Gates. And he couldn't be more deserving.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career. Gates recorded 11,841 receiving yards and 116 touchdowns throughout his time with the Chargers.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
Take a look back at the best photos of Antonio Gates' career.
