The day Hunter Henry met Antonio Gates began in the Chargers locker room Wednesday morning, one handshake and two smiles. It continued on the practice field where the second-round pick did what he plans on doing over the coming months — quietly watch and learn — as the 35-year-old settled into his first practice of organized team activities.

This, he saw, is what a future Hall of Famer looks like.

But that was only half of it.

The team’s tight ends and quarterbacks loaded onto a charter bus, traveling first to a Home Depot and then Belmont Park in Mission Beach, part of a community appreciation event called “Thank You San Diego Day.” Fans flocked to Gates at both sites, asking for autographs and selfies amid calls of “Gates! Gates! Gates!” The crowd at one point grew to such scale he was asked to move because Home Depot customers couldn’t access the cashier area.


“He’s got a big mob,” Henry said later. “My mob is a little bit smaller.”

And so it began, a blend between what the Chargers hope will be two generations at their tight end position. A time will come when Henry is on this roster and Gates isn’t. The team knows that. Gates and Henry know that. Everyone also knows the opportunity Henry has to learn.

No one plans on squandering it.

Henry, 21, was the first player at his position to be drafted in April, the Chargers selecting him 35th overall. Months earlier, he received the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end after catching 51 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns without a drop in 2015 for Arkansas.


Gates is the Chargers’ all-time receiving leader with 844 career catches, 10,644 yards and 104 touchdowns. He is seven scores from tying Tony Gonzalez for most by a tight end in NFL history.

“He’s a legend,” Henry said. “It’s fun just to have him here and meet him. ... On the field and off it, he’s a pro. He’s done it for 13 years. I’m just trying to learn how he’s done it for so long.”

“His resumé in college speaks for itself,” Gates said. “But when I walked in, from the first time of being around him, I could tell he’s a guy who studies in the classroom. The tunnel vision of wanting to be a great player in this league, he has that. You can tell, he’s very attentive to what I have to say to him, and he’s willing to learn. To me, that’s always the start. If you see a guy who comes in from the collegiate level and thinks he knows it all, I don’t really gravitate toward him as much. But that kid, he’s a phenomenal kid.”

The first OTA practice for Gates was the team’s third.


1 / 26 Beach goers have their photo taken with San Diego Chargers tight ends Antonio Gates (85), Matt Weiser (46), Asante Cleveland (45) and Hunter Henry, right, in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 2 / 26 San Diego Chargers Hunter Henry (86), and Mike Bercovici walk along Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 3 / 26 San Diego lifeguard Wes Fransway has his photo taken with San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 4 / 26 San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates signs autographs in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 5 / 26 San Diego Chargers Antonio Gates rides the Giant Dipper roller coaster with Ty French, 12, at Belmont Park during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 6 / 26 San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates takes a photo with a fan in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 7 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers prepares to ride the Giant Dipper roller coaster with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 8 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers prepares to ride the Giant Dipper roller coaster with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 9 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers rides the Giant Dipper with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 10 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers rides the Giant Dipper with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 11 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Zach Mettenberger rides the Giant Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 12 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Zach Mettenberger takes photos with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 13 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers takes photos with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 14 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers takes photos with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 15 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers takes photos with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 16 / 26 A fan shows off a Philip Rivers autograph on a skateboard in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 17 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers takes photos with fans at Belmont Park in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 18 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Zach Mettenberger throws a football with the public in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 19 / 26 San Diego Chargers quarterback Zach Mettenberger throws a football with the public in Mission Beach during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 20 / 26 San Diego Chargers linebackers take a photo in the Gaslamp Quarters during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 21 / 26 San Diego Chargers linebackers Manti Te’o and Denzel Perreyman, right, walk in the Gaslamp Quarters during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 22 / 26 San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram talks on the phone with a fan in the Gaslamp Quarters during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 23 / 26 San Diego Chargers linebackers Manti Te’o and Denzel Perreyman, right, walk in the Gaslamp Quarters during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 24 / 26 San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy talks with Joe McNulty, left, and Brian Kopp in the Gaslamp Quarters during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 25 / 26 San Diego Chargers linebacker Kyle Emanuel talks with construction workers in downtown San Diego during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred) 26 / 26 San Diego Chargers linebackers walk through downtown San Diego during the Chargers’ Thank You San Diego Day where players and coaches fanned out across the city to interact with fans. (K.C. Alfred)

Coach Mike McCoy knew his arrival was coming, the two having kept in communication.

Workouts are voluntary, and Gates largely has a hall pass to come and go as he pleases at this stage of his career. He signed a two-year extension in March, a deal expected to ensure he’ll retire with the only NFL franchise he knows. Dividing much of his offseason between Los Angeles and Michigan, Gates recently saw his daughter graduate middle school.

He laughed Wednesday at the reality of it. Gates, 36 in June, will be the father of a high school student come the start of his upcoming 14th season.


“It’s crazy, man,” Gates said. “They grow up so fast.”

With his help, so can rookies.”

Notable

• The team held a practice Wednesday morning without helmets, thereby concluding the first week of OTAs. It will reconvene Tuesday following Memorial Day Weekend. McCoy, who thanked fans while strolling through downtown with the Chargers’ linebackers, said that he likes what he’s seen thus far. “The tempo, the energy, the excitement, the competition of guys doing it the right way, it’s been outstanding,” he said.