Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez knows that the “trade me from a crappy team” cannon is something a player can fire only once in his future Hall of Fame career.
And so he’s not asking to be traded from the unexpectedly crappy Falcons. But Gonzalez has packed the gunpowder and loaded the ball, and he’s standing over the fuse with a lighted torch.
“I love my guys on this team too much to go ask for a trade,” Gonzalez told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “It would be something that would come from them where they said, ‘Hey, it makes sense because we could get something good for you and send you to a team that’s a contender.’ So I understand the thought process behind that.”
In other words, he won’t ask for a trade. But he would welcome a trade.
“When [FOX’s] Jimmy Johnson says that it would be respectful of [the Falcons to ask Gonazlez if he wants to play for a contender], I see that,” Gonzalez said “And like I said, if that’s something they wanted to do and they asked me, then, yeah, I would listen to them, of course. Yes, I would sit down with them.
“You’ve always got to listen to them in anything. I don’t care if you’re not open to it or [are], you still listen and see what’s up.”
In other words, he won’t ask for a trade. But he would welcome a trade.
We’ll know by [4:00 p.m. ET] tomorrow,” Gonzalez said. “But, like I said, I’m not going to be the one to go asking for a trade. It will have to come from them.”
In other words, he won’t ask for a trade. But he would welcome a trade.
The question is whether the Falcons will trade him. Inexplicably, they previously have made it clear they won’t.
Maybe it’s posturing aimed at maximizing the compensation. Or maybe they simply don’t care about getting compensation in 2014 for a guy who’s playing for a team that seems to have no chance of contending in 2013.