After being told by scouts that he was too much of a "
tweener" to make the
NBA, Gates () arranged a workout in front of
NFL scouts. Despite never having played college football, as many as 19 teams were believed to have contacted Gates about a tryout. Gates chose to work out first for the San Diego Chargers. Recognizing his potential, the Chargers immediately signed him to a contract as an
undrafted free agent.
2003 Lost in the disappointment of San Diego's league-worst 4–12 record was Gates' rise from third string to starter. He made his first catch in week 4 against the
Oakland Raiders, scored his first touchdown in week 10 against the
Minnesota Vikings, and enjoyed his first 100-yard receiving game (117 yards) against the
Green Bay Packers in week 15. Gates caught 24 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. His 16.2 yards per reception were the highest of his career.
2004 Gates started the 2004 season strong with eight receptions for 123 receiving yards in a 27–20 victory over the
Houston Texans. In week 5, he had two receiving touchdowns in a 34–21 victory over the
Jacksonville Jaguars. In week 8, against the
Oakland Raiders, he had another game with two receiving touchdowns in the 42–14 victory. In the following game, he recorded three receiving touchdowns in a 43–17 victory over the
New Orleans Saints. Gates had his third consecutive game finding the endzone in the next game against the Oakland Raiders with an eight-catch, 101-yard day in the 23–17 victory. In the following game, against the
Kansas City Chiefs, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 34–31 victory. A preferred target of quarterback
Drew Brees, Gates finished his second season in the NFL with 81 receptions for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns. On December 19, Gates tied the NFL single season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end (12) in a 21–0 win over the
Cleveland Browns. He went on to break this record in an overtime loss to the
Indianapolis Colts on December 26. Gates was selected to the
2005 Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors. Gates scored a touchdown in the
Wild Card Round overtime loss to the
New York Jets.
2005 On August 23, 2005, after holding out for a contract extension, Gates signed a six-year deal worth up to $24 million with the San Diego Chargers. Because of his holdout, Gates was suspended for one game–the home opener against the
Dallas Cowboys, a loss. In week 8, against the
Kansas City Chiefs, he had ten receptions for 145 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in the 28–20 victory. In the following game, he had eight receptions for 132 receiving yards in the 31–26 victory over the
New York Jets. In week 14, he had 13 receptions for 123 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 23–21 loss to the
Miami Dolphins. Gates went on to have another stellar season, catching 89 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, but the Chargers missed the playoffs by a single win. He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors.
2006 Gates had a relatively quiet start to the season, but he finished the year strongly and ended up with 924 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He caught two touchdown passes on December 10 in a 48–20 victory the
Denver Broncos to help the Chargers clinch their division. Gates was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro for the third straight year. Undefeated at Qualcomm during the regular season, the Chargers and their fans anticipated a trip to the Super Bowl but they were
beaten at home 24–21 by the
New England Patriots in the
Divisional Round.
2007 Gates started off the 2007 season with nine receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown in the 14–3 victory over the
Chicago Bears. In week 3, he had 11 receptions for 113 receiving yards against the
Green Bay Packers. In week 5, against the
Denver Broncos, he had seven receptions for 113 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 41–3 victory. In week 8 against the
Houston Texans and in week 12 against the
Baltimore Ravens, he had two receiving touchdowns in each game. For his 2007 season, Gates was selected to the Pro Bowl. During the season, he caught 75 passes for 984 yards and nine touchdowns. He was once again a key factor during the Chargers' 11–5 campaign, but not during the playoffs. Gates dislocated a toe on his right foot just before the postseason, which slowed him down during the Chargers' playoff run. Gates was not the only Chargers star player injured: both
LaDainian Tomlinson and
Philip Rivers had leg injuries which hindered the Chargers' chances of reaching the Super Bowl. However, the Chargers did eventually play in the
AFC Championship, which they lost 21–12 to the
New England Patriots.
2008 Gates said he was leaning toward having surgery to repair a dislocated left big toe that slowed his performance during the
2007–08 NFL playoffs, but was undecided on whether to have surgery or not, "There is higher chance I'm going to have surgery". Gates also pulled out of his fifth Pro Bowl selection because of his injuries alongside his teammate LaDainian Tomlinson. Gates finished the season with 60 receptions for 704 yards and eight touchdowns. On February 23, 2008, Gates said he would have foot surgery to fix the injury that had slowed him in the final part of the season. He would face a 4–6 month recovery time. Gates seemed questionable for week 1 and even sounded worried about his status for the opening day of the
2008 season; however, he ended up playing every game despite complaints that his toe was bothering him during the first half of the season.
2009 In week 4, against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Gates had nine receptions for 124 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 38–28 loss. In week 12, against the
Kansas City Chiefs, he had seven receptions for 118 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 43–14 victory. In the following game, he had a season-high 167 receiving yards on eight receptions in the 30–23 victory over the
Cleveland Browns. He closed the season out with four consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. Finally healthy after consecutive injury-plagued seasons, Gates enjoyed the most productive year of his career. He caught 79 passes for a career-high 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl. The team finished the year with 13 wins, one of the best records of the year. However, they were eliminated in their first postseason game by the
New York Jets in the
Divisional Round.
2010 Gates began the
2010 season by signing a five-year, $36 million contract with $20 million guaranteed. In week 2, against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, he recorded two receiving touchdowns in the 38–13 victory. In week 4, against the
Arizona Cardinals, he had seven receptions for 144 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 41–10 victory. He became the seventh tight end in NFL history with 500+ career receptions. In the first nine games of the 2010 season, he had 40 receptions and nine touchdowns. Despite being limited by foot injuries throughout the second half of the 2010 season, Gates earned a
Pro Bowl selection for his seventh consecutive year; however, as a result of his lingering injuries, Gates did not participate in the game. He was ranked 22nd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.
2011 Gates tried to play through his chronic foot problems but was forced to sit out Weeks 3–5. He came back after the bye week and started every game the rest of the way. In week 14, against the
Buffalo Bills, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 37–10 victory. He finished with more than 60 catches (64) for the seventh time in his career. He also scored seven touchdowns and was voted into his eighth Pro Bowl. Gates became the Chargers' all-time receptions leader on a six-yard catch on a fourth-and-5, early in the fourth quarter against
Detroit. It was his 587th career catch, surpassing
Charlie Joiner's 586.
2012 In week 6, Gates had two receiving touchdowns in a 35–24 loss to the
Denver Broncos, on a night where the Chargers held a 24–0 halftime lead. Gates had another record-breaking season, becoming the fifth tight end in NFL history with 600 career catches and runner-up for most touchdowns in Chargers franchise history with 83. The tight end and his quarterback Philip Rivers connected for a total of 56 touchdown catches, the most out of any quarterback-tight end combination in the NFL. He was ranked 73rd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.
2013 Gates had two games on the season going over the 100-yard mark, week 2 against the
Philadelphia Eagles and week 4 against the
Dallas Cowboys. played all 16 games for the first time since 2009, finishing with 70 receptions (77) for the fourth time in his career. However, Gates only scored four touchdowns, his fewest since his rookie season in 2003.
2014 In week 2, against the
Seattle Seahawks, Gates had three receiving touchdowns in the 30–21 victory. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Seattle. Gates passed
Lance Alworth to become the Chargers' career leader in receiving yards in week 7 against the
Denver Broncos. In the season's final game against the
Kansas City Chiefs, he became the fourth tight end in NFL history to surpass 10,000 yards in career receiving yards. He finished the season with 12 touchdowns, becoming the fourth player in league history to catch 12 or more touchdowns in a season at age 34. His teammates voted him the Chargers' Offensive Player of the Year and he was invited as an alternate for the
Pro Bowl, but declined. He was ranked 52nd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
2015 On July 2, 2015, it was announced that Gates would be suspended for the first four games of the
2015 season for violating the NFL's rules on
performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). On October 12, 2015, against the
Pittsburgh Steelers in his first game back after from a four-game suspension, Gates scored his 100th and 101st career touchdown receptions. He became the ninth NFL player, and second tight end, to catch 100+ career touchdowns He finished the season with 630 yards and five touchdowns on 56 receptions. On March 9, 2016, Gates signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the Chargers.
2016 Gates played in 14 games in 2016, starting nine. The emergence of rookie tight end Hunter Henry affected Gates's production. He caught 53 passes for 538 yards and scored seven touchdowns. His 10.3 yards per reception and 57% completion percentage were the lowest of his career.
2017 In week 2, against the
Miami Dolphins, he caught his 112th career touchdown pass, which set a new NFL record for most touchdowns as a tight end. Following the emergence of second-year tight end
Hunter Henry as a starter, Gates only started four games and finished with 30 receptions for a career-low 316 yards and three touchdowns. On April 27, 2018, the Chargers informed Gates they would not be bringing him back for the 2018 season.
2018 On September 2, 2018, Gates re-signed with the
Los Angeles Chargers following an injury to Hunter Henry. In week 4, against the
San Francisco 49ers, he scored his first receiving touchdown of the season. He finished the 2018 season with 28 receptions for 333 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 16 games and one start. In what would be his final NFL game, Gates recorded a receiving touchdown in the 41–28 loss to the
New England Patriots in the
Divisional Round.
Retirement Gates announced his retirement on January 14, 2020. He ended his career with a record 116 touchdown catches by a tight end, including 89 thrown by Rivers for the most ever by a quarterback–tight end duo at the time. He also finished as the Chargers' franchise leader in receptions (955) and receiving yards (11,841). In 2020, Gates announced he was joining the
Los Angeles Chargers front office as Legends Ambassador. ==Career statistics==