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Tony Gonzalez enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons over the course of his 17-year NFL career. Now, he's joining a new team, only this one keeps him close to football but away fro the playing field as he retires from the game.
Today, CBS announced that Gonzalez is joining its NFL Today pre-game show as a studio analyst working alongside James Brown, Bill Cowher, and Boomer Esiason:
"Having just stepped off the playing field, Tony brings a fresh and insightful perspective," CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said in a statement. "As a future Hall of Famer, we are excited for him to share his knowledge, experiences and opinions with our viewers. Tony was one of the most respected and hardworking players in the NFL and a tremendous teammate. We look forward to him bringing these attributes to CBS Sports."
Gonzalez’s NFL career spanned 17 years, 12 with Kansas City after being their first-round pick in 1997, and five with Atlanta before his retirement in 2013. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns (111) and yards (15,127) by a tight end. He also is the NFL’s all-time leader in consecutive starts (120) and Pro-Bowl appearances (14) by a tight end, and ranks second overall among all players in catches with 1,325.
McManus also announced that Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe will no longer be part of CBS:
"While we welcome Tony, we want to acknowledge Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe who have contributed greatly to the success of The NFL Today for more than a decade. Dan and Shannon are true Hall of Famers on the field and in front of the camera. As they pursue other professional opportunities, we thank them for their hard work and dedication and wish them nothing but the best."
There has been speculation that Marino could join the Miami Dolphins in a front-office role. It's unclear as to what Sharpe no plans to do, but expect him to resurface in some sort of football-related job, whether it's as a TV analyst or a role with an NFL team.