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Antonio Gates is easily one of the best tight ends in the game. However, he has shown signs of slowing down and as he approaches 32 years of age, Gates knows his time will be coming to an end soon.

The San Diego Chargers tight end wants to play as long as he can and he looks to add years to his career by losing weight.

“I’ve always felt deeply that as you get older, you have to lose a little weight,” Gates told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’ve always played at 260. I felt like this year, I can play at 255 … That’s just the key. When I watch guys who have longevity and played for 15, 16 years, one thing I continuously hear is guys maintaining health, maintaining weight. They control their weight.”

This is kind of like Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. Duncan was able to play longer and better as he went on a diet and lose weight this past off-season. So I'm guessing it will work well for Gates, too.

Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.

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