Fitzgerald Cecilio

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is trying to convince veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez to forgo his retirement plans and return for another season.

"A guy who is 36 (years old) catching 100-plus balls (including the postseason), it just doesn't seem like it's time for him to move on," Dimitroff told ESPN.com while visiting the Super Bowl media center.

According to Dimitroff, he has conveyed his message to Gonzalez in very strong terms to put emphasis on the team's desire for him to continue playing.

Late in the season, the 16-year veteran said that he was 95 percent sure of retirement. He raised that figure up to 97 percent after the Falcons won a playoff game against Seattle.

After losing the NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers, Gonzalez said he still was leaning toward retirement.

Now that the team made the pitch, Dimitroff said it's up to Gonzalez to decide whether to hang up his jersey for good.

"Tony's a man and he's got to make his own decision," Dimitroff said. "Suffice it to say that it's not going to be an easy decision for him one way or another because he knows that he still has fuel in the tank and it's very legitimate fuel in the tank."

Dimitroff said he hasn't given Gonzalez a timetable to make his decision.

"We don't have a deadline at all," Dimitroff said. "But let's face it that it's important for us to know sooner rather than later because we have to move forward on all our decision making."

Gonzalez ranks as the best tight end in a number of different statistical categories, including receptions with 1,242 catches, receiving yards with 14,268 and receiving touchdowns with 103.

Falcons Want Tight End Tony Gonzalez to Forgo Retirement