The Facts: On the cusp of his 13th season, Gates has only one year remaining on his contract and is acutely aware of his expiring clock. He no longer attends voluntary workouts, nor has he done any route running this offseason. “With injuries and whatnot, I played a little bit more than they expected me to play last season,” he says. “I was playing the whole game. How I feel next year, it depends on how much volume they have me doing. I’d like to come in on third-and-7s, red zones, those situations. That’s what my contribution is at anyway.”

Diehards Line: Through 12 seasons, Gates has caught 788 passes for 10,014 yards and 99 touchdowns—all franchise records in San Diego. Among tight ends in NFL history, he ranks fourth in catches and yards, and second in TDs. He’s caught 549 passes for first downs -- second only to Tony Gonzalez -- and his 80 catches of 25 yards or more are the most by anyone to ever play his position. He posted those numbers while sharing an offense with LaDainian Tomlinson for nine seasons, during which time Tomlinson led the NFL in rushing yards, carries and TDs. ... As Profootballtalk.com notes, Ladarius Green is a frequent subject of preseason talk about stepping into a bigger role on the San Diego offense, but it hasn’t translated into a big jump in production or playing time to this point. Perhaps the combination of Gates’s desires and the fact that the veteran, who won’t commit to playing beyond this year, isn’t signed beyond the 2015 season will be the thing that finally makes it happen.