B/R Interview: Tony Gonzalez Talks Tom Brady, Travis Kelce and Fantasy Football Movie

"Man, I would love to play in this day and age."

And fans would love to see it, Tony Gonzalez.

The Hall of Fame tight end has gotten the opportunity to see a number of games up close this season for his work on Amazon's coverage of Thursday Night Football, and he told Bleacher Report he has caught himself thinking about what would happen if the prime version of himself was taking advantage of the spacing and aerial attacks in today's game.

"It all depends on the system you're in and who you're playing with," he said. "But, yeah, you look at it and the rules with the way they've changed them, this ain't your daddy's football. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing because they're making the game safer. But defenses can't really touch you anymore, they can't really hit you over the middle like they used to. So you look at it and go, 'Man, I would love to play in this day and age.'"

It's not difficult to envision the types of numbers he would post.

After all, Gonzalez is one of the best tight ends in NFL history who built a resume that included 14 Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro nods after the Kansas City Chiefs selected him with the No. 13 overall pick of the 1997 NFL draft.

He played 12 seasons with the Chiefs and five with the Atlanta Falcons, amassing 1,325 receptions for 15,127 yards and 111 touchdowns. He missed a single game during his entire career, finished with 900 or more receiving yards nine different times, reached double-digit touchdown catches three different times and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2019.

Kansas City fans have been spoiled at the position going from an all-time great in Gonzalez to a current star on his way to legendary status in Travis Kelce, who is a Super Bowl champion, seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro attempting to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh straight year.

"I love watching Travis Kelce," Gonzalez said. "Obviously, it's Kansas City and hits close to home there. But to see what he's done in that system and with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid calling the plays, and the way he's done it both on and off the field as a class act. He's definitely the guy who I watch the most and somebody I think has done unbelievable things with the position."

He also mentioned George Kittle and Kyle Pitts when asked which tight ends he enjoys watching but was quick to point out it's not a bad thing that nobody reminds him of himself.

"Everybody's so different," he said. "There's nobody who reminds me of me, and that's a good thing. Because these guys are coming in and they are their own person with their own style. And that's all I ever wanted. Don't ever try to be like me, be yourself and let's see you try to bring something new to the table."

Gonzalez has brought something new to the table in his post-playing career by going into acting.

His credits include NCIS and xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and he is part of the cast of the new Paramount+ movie called Fantasy Football debuting on Nov. 25. The former Falcon will play the team's coach in the film, which also stars Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick and Kelly Rowland.

"I think I've come a long way from where I started," he said while laughing and discussing his acting abilities. "I've worked really hard to develop those skills, and I like where I'm at right now. It was great to be in the movie … I'm happy with it, I had a great experience."

Fantasy Football sees Callie A. Coleman (played by Martin) discover she can control her father Bobby (played by Hardwick) on the football field by playing as him in Madden NFL 23.

"It's a family movie that's based around football, which are the two best things in my life," Gonzalez said. "It's family and football, so this movie has it all. It's going to be funny and heartwarming and entertaining."

Madden plays a major role in the movie's plot, and the iconic EA Sports franchise is running a cross-promotion in which two of the characters (Bobby Coleman and Anderson Fisher) will be dropped into The Yard and Superstar KO modes on Friday.

Gonzalez, who is in the game in the Ultimate Team mode, reflected on his experience with the video game beyond its role in the film.

"I was a big player back in my younger days, but, of course, once you start getting married and having kids you have to be home after practice and can't stay and play," he said. "But now I have a 12-year-old son who is infatuated with the game. I'm not kidding you, I think he knows more about the players than I do. I can go to him now and ask about the players around the league and ask 'How do you know all this stuff?' And he goes, 'Madden. It's because I play Madden.'"

Don't expect to see Gonzalez on the sidelines as a coach anytime soon, though, even if he is playing one in Fantasy Football and former players may have their chance to shine in the profession thanks to the Indianapolis Colts.

"Now that this guy named Jeff Saturday got the head spot with the Colts, maybe I can make a go at it," he said. "But, honestly, I doubt it. I think coaching is so hard. It's such a chore. It's not my cup of tea, I don't think. But I do think Jeff Saturday's doing a good job of it, so maybe one day. I'll never say never."

Gonzalez said the situation with Saturday is "fascinating" and one of the storylines he can't wait to see unfold down the stretch run of the season.

While Saturday was a six-time Pro Bowler during 13 seasons with Indianapolis as a center, he didn't have any coaching experience at the college or NFL level when the Colts named him the replacement for the fired Frank Reich.

"This could be a game-changer hiring somebody with no experience," Gonzalez said of the new coach, who led Indianapolis to a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in his first game. "If he can make this thing work, it changes the game. It really does. And a lot of coaches out there are probably shaking in their boots, there's a lot of people rooting against this. I can't wait to see how that turns out."

The Hall of Famer will have a chance to see how it turns out from a different perspective than most considering he is part of Amazon Prime Video's first year of covering Thursday Night Football.

Gonzalez, who previously worked on pregame shows for CBS and Fox, travels to stadiums alongside Charissa Thompson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman for pregame, postgame and halftime coverage.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

"It's been great," he said. "We're at the game with the set and the fans. Just being on the sideline, the energy is incredible. It's been way better than I thought it was going to be, and obviously with the streaming platform and to get a chance to do something that's never been done before and see it working now. It's no longer 'what if?'"

One of the Thursday games he got to see was the Baltimore Ravens' victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.

That was part of Tampa Bay's 3-5 start to the season, but it has since won two straight and is sitting atop the NFC South during its bye week. This may be Tom Brady's final season, and Gonzalez sees the seven-time Super Bowl champion's final push as another intriguing storyline for the season's second half.

"It seems like he's going to hit his stride here in what's going to be his last year," he said. "I am 100 percent sure this is going to be his last year, so watching him go out, I can't wait to see how that turns out."

It may even end in another Super Bowl appearance.

"The NFC, I don't know at this point," Gonzalez said. "I like Philly, but they can't stop the run. I'm still not convinced that Tom Brady doesn't have something up his sleeve as a true darkhorse. Never go against a Hall of Famer, especially a guy like that. And then the Cowboys, even though they lost last week, I think this is the best Cowboys team I've ever seen in my career."

He is far more certain of how the AFC will unfold, especially after his former team landed wide receiver Kadarius Toney in a trade with the New York Giants. All the pass-catcher did was score a touchdown in his second game with his new team during a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Out of the AFC, I think the Chiefs," Gonzalez said. "That high-powered offense even got better. Kadarius Toney is only going to make that offense even better."

With predictions like that, Kansas City fans will surely continue to love one of the team's all-time greats.