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. After losing the NFC Championship Game to San Francisco, Gonzalez said he still intended to retire.

Dimitroff, who has been lobbying hard for Gonzalez to return for an 18th season, thinks Gonzalez’s chances of being back are a lot better than the veteran is letting on.

“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.”

During Super Bowl week in New Orleans, Dimitroff said there was no firm timetable for Gonzalez to make 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.”

A 13-time Pro Bowler who will turn 38 years old on Feb. 27, Gonzalez holds NFL records for touchdown receptions (107) and reception yards (14,268) by a tight end. He had 93 catches for 930 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

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The Lions used their franchise tender on the defensive end last offseason but couldn’t agree to a long-term contract, setting up the defensive end to test the free-agent market once again.

“I don’t know. It depends on the situation, honestly,” Avril told the NBC Sports Network in an interview Wednesday. “It depends on why I would be taking less money, first off. I don’t know, but we just have to get the numbers going and we’ll see. I really don’t know if I would take less right now.”

Avril, unhappy he wasn’t able to receive a long-term deal, didn’t sign his one-year, $10.6 million franchise tender until a week after training camp began last season.

He put his chances of remaining with the Lions at 50-50.

“I don’t know right now. We’re waiting to see what’s going to go down. We have a little less than a month to try to figure some things out. Hopefully, we get it done,” he said in the interview.

Avril, who will turn 27 on April 8, finished last season with 9.5 sacks, 35 tackles and two forced fumbles.

He has 39.5 career sacks and 16 forced fumbles since 2008 when Detroit drafted him out of Purdue in the third round.

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“I won’t play in another uniform,” Boldin said in an interview Friday on NBC Sports Radio. “We have a saying, once a Raven, always a Raven, and I’ll always be a Raven.”

Boldin, 32, has one year left on his four-year, $25 million deal, and is due $6 million next season. But money could be tight as six starters will become unrestricted free agents, including quarterback Joe Flacco, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger, and safety Ed Reed.

“I think you go out and let your play speak for itself,” Boldin told NBC Sports Radio. “You deal with that if you have to, but, I think for me — I know for me — Baltimore is the only place I want to play.”

Boldin caught 65 passes for 921 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games this season, his third with Baltimore. Boldin caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens’ 34-31 Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers.

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Their continuing correspondence is frank, and Van Gundy has been open about his assessment of the center. Speaking in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Van Gundy was equally blunt, saying Howard’s April back surgery is a definite factor in the center’s performance curve with his new team.

Not so many months ago, there was a moment, or maybe even a few minutes, where Kobe Bryant seemed to lose faith, writes Ramona Shelburne. Story

“I don’t think he looks quite as explosive or as quick as he has in the past,” Van Gundy told the newspaper. “Now, he’s still above almost everyone in the league at that size athletically, but he has not totally looked like himself to me.”

The Lakers acquired Howard in a trade with Orlando in August, three months after the Magic fired Van Gundy not long after reports surfaced that Howard had orchestrated the coach’s ouster.

Howard and Van Gundy repaired their relationship, however, and keep in touch as Van Gundy works for NBC Sports as a college basketball analyst.

The Lakers improved to 15-15 with a win Friday, their sixth in seventh games, with Kobe Bryant again leading the offense with 27 points.

Howard, though, had 21 points and 14 rebounds and is averaging 17.6 points and 11.8 boards.

“It’s a big adjustment for him going from being the guy to not only being the No. 2 guy but really a No. 2 guy that really doesn’t get the ball very much at all,” Van Gundy said. “It’s a different deal and an adjustment he has to make. Those kind of things take time.”

Howard was fined $35,000 last week by the NBA for a flagrant foul 2 against Denver’s Kenneth Faried and has vowed to “do a better job of keeping my composure and not getting frustrated and also remember that I’m playing for my teammates at all times and stay on the right path.” Howard was ejected when he jammed his hand in Faried’s face as the Denver forward drove the lane during the Lakers’ loss Wednesday.

“I think Dwight is going to be more than willing to make the adjustment,” Van Gundy told the Times of his playing more of a supporting role. “But it’s still an adjustment and it takes time mentally too because your ego — and ego is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing, you need it to be great in this league — tells you that you’re supposed to be the man and having to adjust to playing off somebody else is not an easy thing.”

Howard has offered up to Van Gundy his own reasons for the Lakers’ struggles this season.

“The only thing he’s really gotten into was, he wants their defense to be better,” Van Gundy said.

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