Jan 12, 2007, 9:23:22 AM


Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson announced on Friday that TE Tony Gonzalez agreed in principle to a five-year contract extension. As per Chiefs policy, no further terms of the agreement were announced.

“Simplistically, we’re very pleased to get this done,” Peterson said. “It will, in all essence, allow Tony Gonzalez to finish his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. The obvious is he’s been a very, very productive player for us. I think for our fans in Kansas City it was important for us to get this done. He’s done a marvelous job for us both on and off the football field.”

Gonzalez (6-5, 251) has appeared in 158 career NFL games (142 starts), including starts in 142 of the last 144 contests. He owns the top mark in Chiefs history with 721 receptions for 8,710 yards (12.1 avg.) and 61 touchdowns. His 8,710 receiving yards and 721 receptions rank second in NFL history among TEs, trailing only TE Shannon Sharpe. He needs two more receiving TDs to pass Sharpe (62) for the most by a TE in NFL annals.

The 10-year NFL veteran earned his eighth straight appearance to the NFL’s annual All-Star Game this year. The only Chiefs TE ever selected to the Pro Bowl, Gonzalez joins Fred Arbanas as the only other Kansas City TE to earn a berth in the Pro Bowl or the AFL All-Star Game. Arbanas made five AFL All-Star appearances (’62-65 and ‘67). Those eight Pro Bowl invites are tied with Sharpe for the most by a tight end in NFL history. Gonzalez started 15 games in 2006, leading the club with 73 receptions for 900 yards with five touchdowns. The Torrance, California native caught a club-record 102 passes for 1,258 yards (12.3 avg.) with seven touchdowns in 2004.

At the University of California, Gonzalez saw action in 33 games on the gridiron, catching 89 passes for 1,302 yards (14.6 avg.) with eight touchdowns.


Kcchiefs.com