FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Tony Gonzalez is having a harder time saying goodbye to the NFL than he imagined. As he prepares to host 40 family members and friends in Atlantas season finale, Gonzalez sounds as if he isnt entirely ready to walk away. When the Falcons announced in March that he would return this year, the 13-time Pro Bowl tight end was "100 per cent certain" he would retire after the season. Now Gonzalez wonders if he could change his mind again if Atlanta returns to playoff contention next fall and general manager Thomas Dimitroff gives him a call. "Id have to cross that bridge when I get to it, but right now I dont have any plans," he said. "I know for sure I wont be on an opening day for roster anybody. Im going to-- this is it. This is it." Meeting with reporters Friday, Gonzalez focused most of his answers on the end of his career. The 37-year-old insisted that hes pleased to "go out on his own terms" and added that hes "thankful for the opportunity" to have stayed healthy and productive for 17 seasons. Gonzalez ranks second in career catches, fifth in yards receiving and sixth in touchdown catches. No NFL tight end ever put up such numbers, but Gonzalez hardly returned this year to pad his stats. He craved playing in his first Super Bowl, winning a championship and making a legendary exit. The Falcons, though, never had a chance. Julio Jones, Sam Baker and Kroy Biermann suffered season-ending injuries. Sean Weatherspoon played in only seven games. Roddy White made 12 starts and Steven Jackson made 11, but both players were hurt most of the year. Quarterback Matt Ryan was harassed all season behind a weak offensive, and Atlantas defence was gouged repeatedly for big plays. Not surprisingly, Gonzalezs production dropped off as opponents double-teamed his routes. In October and early November, Gonzalez openly discussed his frustration and held out hope that the Falcons could still turn the season around. By the first of December, though, Gonzalez took a different approach with reporters, reminiscing about his early morning drives from hectic Buckhead to the picturesque mountain view at team headquarters. He talked about missing quality time with his kids but also feeling grateful to former teammates and coaches in Kansas City and those hes worked with in Atlanta the last five years. "I know I could come back and play a couple of more years if I wanted to, but its time for me to go," Gonzalez said. "Its time for me to get back to my family, get back to California, where Im from and explore that next chapter of my life. Im going to have fun with it." Television work is a possibility for Gonzalez, but playing football might not be out of the question. The Falcons, after all, signed him to a two-year, $14 million contract last March, and if they get off to a strong start next season, Gonzalez might reconsider, but he stopped short of saying that he plans to file retirement papers with the NFL. Then again, the aches and pains of a 16-game season arent getting easier, this despite the Falcons allowing him to miss over three weeks of training camp and preseason games last summer. "Like I said, dont anybody ever feel bad for me," Gonzalez said, smiling. "The things Ive accomplished in my career are more than anybody ever deserves." With one full day remaining before Atlanta (4-11) hosts the playoff-bound Carolina Panthers (11-4), Gonzalez is eager to go out with a victory. He had a good ride with the Falcons in his first four years, helping the team go 45-19 and win his first playoff game last January. But after narrowly beating Seattle in the divisional round, Atlanta fell 10 yards short against San Francisco in the NFC title game. "You never know when it can come to an end, and thats always been my approach," Gonzalez said. "Ive never said that Ive arrived with my accomplishments. Ive never, ever said that thats good enough for me or Ive caught enough balls to last a lifetime. I always wanted to keep working and keep working in case this is it, and now that Im coming into my last one, Im glad Ive done it that way. "It worked out, and hopefully Ill carry those habits into my next career, whatever that is." Nike MLB Jerseys . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . The trade deadline is Monday, Mar. 2 at 3pm et/Noon pt. 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The Swarm selected Sorensen with the 2nd overall pick in a very deep first round of the 2012 NLL Draft. The 66 native of Peterborough, ON enjoyed a great rookie season in 2013 with 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points in addition to 51 loose balls and 10 forced turnovers in 16 regular season games. In 2014, his loose ball numbers crept up to 73 and forced 17 turnovers. Sorensen dressed for all 18 regular season games and scored 6 goals and added 3 assists for a Minnesota team that didnt qualify for the post-season. The biggest assets Sorensen will bring to the Rock are his size and athleticism. With last weeks addition of unrestricted free agent Jeff Gilbert, the team continues to increase the size of the bodies on the defensive side of the ball. Brock will make us a tougher team to play against, said Sanderson. The past couple of seasons, at times we werent a tough team to play against. Our recent moves have begun to address that issue. However, some of that change in becoming a tough team to face is also going to have to come from within.dddddddddddd Sorensen played collegiately at Ohio State University and the first four years of his junior lacrosse career was played with his hometown Peterborough Junior A Lakers. In his Junior A rookie season of 2006, he was a part of a surprising Minto Cup championship team that upset the host team from Six Nations. Sorensen finished his Junior A career by playing his last year of eligibility with the Orangeville Junior A Northmen in 2010. Going the other way in the deal, the Swarm get OConnor who led the Rock and all NLL rookies in loose balls and was Torontos first round pick, 9th overall in the 2013 NLL Draft. Toronto also sends their first round pick in the 2017 NLL Draft to Minnesota in the trade. The Rock do not have a first round pick in the upcoming 2014 NLL Draft, but do have their first round picks in the 2015 (expected to be one of the deepest drafts in league history) and the 2016 draft. We had to give up some significant assets in this trade, explained Sanderson. Ethan had a strong first season in the NLL and has a bright future ahead of him in this league. ' ' '