Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez stayed with his normal routine Friday, his last day of practice after 17 seasons in the NFL.
Now, all that is left is the final game, when the Falcons (4-11) face the Carolina Panthers (11-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
“It’s time for me to go,” Gonzalez said. “It’s time to go back to my family. Go back to California, where I’m from, and explore that next chapter in my life.”
He has 40 family and friends set to attend his final NFL game. His high school football and basketball coaches are scheduled to be there.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Gonzalez said. “I can’t wait to go out there and play a game.”
He was drafted 13th overall in the 1997 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and was traded to the Falcons in 2009 for a second-round draft pick.
Along the way, he’s captured most of the meaningful records for tight ends and appears bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I’m just so happy that I was able to have this opportunity to be in the NFL all of these years,” Gonzalez said. “I’m looking forward to going out there and finishing on a high note.”
Gonzalez won the first NFL playoff game of his career last season, and the Falcons coaxed him out of retirement to make one more run at the Super Bowl.
While the team’s fortunes have sagged, he leads the team in receiving with 79 catches and has helped mentor rookie tight end Levine Toilolo.
“He can call me anytime he wants to,” Gonzalez said. “I think Levine is going to be a very good one, if he keeps working like he does.”
Trufant time: One of the few bright spots for the Falcons this season has been the play of rookie cornerback Desmond Trufant.
“I just want to finish strong,” said Trufant, who’s set to start his 16th game at right cornerback. “It’s been a rough season for us. I feel like I’ve learned a lot and improved from start to finish. So, I’m just going to try to continue to get better.”
Trufant ranks fifth on the team with 68 tackles and leads with 16 pass breakups. He has two interceptions, but believes he should have at least five more and thinks the team will recover from this season.
“There definitely was a lot to learn,” Trufant said. “It’s definitely going to make us stronger. We’ve seen the worst already. All we can do is get better. That’s what we are going to take from (this season).”
Backup safety alert: Safety Kemal Ishmael, who was active for his second game Monday night against the 49ers, will be the primary backup for William Moore and Thomas DeCoud.
Zeke Motta was placed on injured reserve, and Sean Baker was called from the practice squad.
“The coaches are preparing me in case something happens,” said Ishmael, a seventh-round pick from Central Florida. “In this league you are always an (injury) away from playing.”
Ishmael had a special-teams tackle against the 49ers.
“I’m trying to do the most that I can right now and leave them with a good impression,” Ishmael said. “It felt natural to be out there again and spread my wings.”
Injury report: Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (knee) and running back Jacquizz Rodgers (concussion) were declared out of the regular-season finale.
Weatherspoon has battled through foot and shoulder injuries and spent time on the injured reserve-designated to return list this season. Rodgers suffered a concussion against San Francisco and is in the NFL’s concussion-protocol program.
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