In honor of his achievement, the Chargers celebrated by adopting a goat in Gates's honor. The goat, a nod to the team considering Gates the "greatest of all time" tight end, is named Gatesy after him. Gatesy resides at the San Diego Animal Sanctuary and Farm.

Gates consistently provided key catches, especially on third downs, and served as a safety value for Chargers quarterbacks when plays went off script.

Antonio Gates, one of the best players in the history of the Los Angeles Chargers and one of the best tight ends of all time, has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The announcement came during the NFL Honors Awards Show on Thursday night.