Tony Gonzalez is expected to retire this offseason, but Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is lobbying for him to return.

"A guy who is 36 (years old) catching 100-plus balls (including the postseason), it just doesn't seem like it's time for him to move on," Dimitroff said on Thursday.

Gonzalez said late in the season he was 95 percent sure he would retire. 

Dimitroff said there is no firm timetable for a decision.

"We don't have a deadline at all," Dimitroff said. "But let's face it that it's important for us to know sooner rather than later because we have to move forward on all our decision making."