Thomas Dimitroff, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, is hopeful that Tony Gonzalez will return to the team for the 2013 season.

Gonzalez said late in the season he was 95 percent sure he would retire. He even moved that figure up to 97 percent after the Falcons won a playoff game against Seattle. 

"Tony has done so much for us on and off the field, and I don't believe, not stating that he would be lying to anyone, but I don't believe the 95 percent," Dimitroff said on "Pro Football Talk" on NBC Sports Network. "I want to believe it's a lot closer to 50-50, to be honest with you, and we've had discussions.

"Obviously (Falcons coach) Mike Smith has had discussions with him. We're all in a good place. Ultimately it's up to Tony to decide if he wants to come back and potentially catch 100 balls again. I think it's one of those situations that Tony was so effective for us down the stretch, and I can't imagine that his appetite wasn't sort of whet from his contributions in the playoffs."

The Falcons don't have a deadline for Gonzalez to make a decision.