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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Gronkowski, who had a team-leading 11 touchdown catches this season, will require a second surgery on his arm, according to sources.

Pro Football Talk reported earlier that Gronkowski would undergo the season-ending surgery.

Gronkowski appeared to suffer the injury while attempting to make a catch in the first quarter. The two-time Pro Bowler returned to the Patriots’ sideline early in the second half but eventually departed with members of the team’s medical staff and did not return to New England’s 41-28 victory.

He was seen leaving the Patriots locker room wearing a sling on his left arm just as the media entered after the game.

“It’s always a tough break,” Patriots guard Logan Mankins said. “Everyone on the team loves Rob. Loves him as a person, player. It’s a tough break for him, and it’s always a tough break for our team, but whoever gets put in that spot, they have to do that job. We’re all counting on him.”

It was the same arm that Gronkowski broke on Nov. 18 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Gronkowski missed five games because of the original injury but played in New England’s regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins.

Although Gronkowski had his forearm heavily wrapped, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he did not regret allowing the star tight end to play.

“The doctors handle medical decisions,” Belichick told reporters after the game.

Patriots running back Danny Woodhead and rookie defensive end Chandler Jones also left Sunday’s game.

“We had a whole plan built for (Gronkowski) and Woody,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “We run the first series of the game and all those plans change. I think a little of it was, ‘What are we going to do now? How are we going to adjust?’ But we seemed to settle in there midway through the first quarter and put together a pretty good game.

“Obviously it’s a bummer to lose anybody, but someone of Rob’s importance or Danny’s importance, we need guys to step in and fill the void, whether it’s this game or any game after.”

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