Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen that if there were no season in 2011, he doesn’t know if he would return in 2012.

“That would be devastating because I don’t want to go out like that,” Gonazalez said Tuesday in a sitdown with Rich Eisen on “NFL Total Access.”

Gonzalez added that he feels great physically, but he doesn’t know how his body would react if it were forced out of football for a year.

“That would be the only reason I would more than likely not come back,” Gonzalez said. “If we miss the whole season and I have to sit out a year, I just think, at 35, sitting out a whole year of football and waiting for it to come back, I just don’t know if my body could. I just want to be smart about it.”

Gonzo has lost a step over the years but thanks to his high football I.Q., his veteran savvy and his nutrition and workout habits, he still plays at an elite level. If the lockout forced him to retire (and I don’t blame him for thinking he couldn’t take a full year off and then come back in 2012), it would be a shame because he’s one of the classiest athletes in professional football. He’s what younger players should aspire to be, not only on the field but off it in terms of taking care of their bodies and conducting their business.

As Gonzalez noted in his interview with Eisen, the Falcons are there. They have a solid core in place and if there’s a season in 2011 they will contend for another division title. Hopefully an agreement can be reached soon and we’ll see Gonzo donning red and black in a couple of months.

Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez told Alex Marvez of FOX Sports that there’s a 50-50 chance that he’ll retire after the 2010 season.

“It is year to year,” Gonzalez said after a Monday practice at the Falcons’ headquarters. “I could play another three or four years. I know I could … There’s a lot of different factors. Yeah, I’d probably come back but you never know. I’m going to wait.”

“That’s the only thing driving me right now,” said Gonzalez, who hasn’t even won a playoff game since entering the league in 1997 with the Chiefs. “It’s not numbers. It’s not milestones. It’s not money. It’s not glory. It’s not going out trying to be famous and all that stuff. It’s one thing.

“It’s not a secret. People have known it. It’s the reason I got out of Kansas City (last offseason) and the reason I’m here. I don’t want to just go to the playoffs. I want to win the whole thing. I think we’ve got a good chance here.”

This is exactly in line with what Gonzo told me back in early May. It’s hard to blame him that he’s taking things year to year at this point in his career.

Beyond his talent, longevity and class, one thing I’ve come to appreciate about Gonzalez is his honesty. He has never hidden the fact that he wanted out of KC so that he could have a better chance to win a Super Bowl and I believe him when he says that career milestones, money and glory aren’t motivating him right now. The only reason he’s still playing at his age and after all the physical abuse he has taken throughout the years is because he wants to win a Super Bowl.

Gonzalez is a fitness and nutrition buff, so there’s no question that he could play well into his late 30s. Whether or not he wants to keep playing is another topic of discussion but as of right now, he’ll give it hell with the Falcons this year and then re-assess the situation at the end of the season.