This could be Gore’s farewell game
In the lead-up to what could be Frank Gore’s last game with the 49ers, his teammates have echoed the same sentiment: They want the franchise’s all-time rushing leader back in 2015.
However, left tackle Joe Staley, Gore’s teammate for the past eight seasons, struck a different note. Get the old guy out of here? Hardly. Staley thinks Gore, at 31, remains too good to morph from bell cow to benchwarmer. It’s a scenario Staley can envision if Gore, who will be an unrestricted free agent, returns for an 11th season with the 49ers.
“I want what’s best for him. I have so much respect for him — I’d obviously love to play with him for as long as I can,” Staley said. “But people like that, you just want to see good things happen to them. If he’s going to sit here and they tell him he’s going to be the third option to go in … I just want him to have success.”
Despite the success he’s had
with the 49ers, it’s quite possible Gore’s 148th regularseason game Sunday against the Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium will be his last with the franchise that drafted him in the third round in 2005.
Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who faced the 49ers and Gore 12 times before they became teammates last year, can’t envision Gore in a uniform that’s not red and gold.
Gore, after all, is the second-longest tenured member of the team behind punter Andy Lee. Gore’s 10 seasons with the 49ers match Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott, and he has taken 2,290 of the 3,202 handoffs the 49ers have given to a running back since becoming a starter in 2006.
But Gore understands the 49ers could decide to reduce his workload next season. In May, the 49ers traded up to draft promising Carlos Hyde with the No. 57 selection, the highest pick they’d used on a running back since 1992. In addition, running back Kendall Hunter will return next season from an ACL tear he suffered in training camp.
Wherever he plays, Gore, whose preference is to stay in Santa Clara, will likely have to accept less than the $6.45 million he earned this season. He wants to discuss his potential role with the 49ers in 2015, but it’s possible a contract offer will spell out their intentions.
“If they want to bring me back, they will,” Gore said. “They’ll come to me in a respectful way. We’ll sit down, see what they want me to do. See what my role is and if I like it, I’ll sign. If I don’t, I’ll try to see what other teams think of me.”
Gore, who will turn 32 in May, understands some teams will think he’s too old. He says he’s been hearing talk about his advancing age since he suffered a broken hip as a 27-year-old in 2010. And his age can’t be dismissed: Only six running backs in NFL history were 32 or older before embarking on a 1,000-yard season.
After the 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs in a loss to Seattle on Dec. 14, Gore was averaging a career-low 3.9 yards a carry and 14.6 carries a game, his lowest figure since he was a backup to Kevan Barlow as a rookie. At the time, Gore pointed to his dwindling opportunities and beat-up front five as reasons for his subpar season. The 49ers will use their eighth different offensive line combination Sunday.
“It’s not really fair because football is more about the team,” Gore said. “And situations. And how many times you get the opportunity, and what the guys are doing in front of you when you do get the opportunity. So I hope (NFL teams) really watch my film. If they watch the film, I think I have a good shot to be one of the top guys in free agency.”
On Dec. 20, Gore offered some eye-opening film. In a 38-35 overtime loss to the Chargers, he rushed for his most yards since 2009 (158) on a season-high 26 carries and scored on a 52-yard scamper.
Gore’s rushing total was the 13th highest in the NFL this season and he became the only player to score on both a run and reception of 50-plus yards in 2014. Gore needs 38 yards Sunday to become the 11th running back in NFL history with eight 1,000-yard seasons.
Boldin, 34, who is 19 yards away from his seventh 1,000yard season, pointed to Gore’s latest performance as evidence of his still-elite skills. Like Staley, though, Boldin wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers think it’s time for Gore to accept a lesser role.
“Guys at the end of the line don’t have 150-some-yard games, Boldin said. “You just don’t get that. The sad part of this league are the stereotypes. This guy isn’t fast enough. This guy isn’t big enough. Or this guy — look at his age. It’s nonsense. You would think the experts would know a lot better. But for some reason that always seems to escape them. I think they let the stereotypes play too big a role in decision-making.”
If Gore and the 49ers decide to part ways, he will join a laundry list of legendary backs who didn’t finish their careers with the teams they are identified with: Emmitt Smith ended with the Cardinals; LaDainian Tomlinson finished with the Jets; Tony Dorsett went to the Broncos; Franco Harris wrapped up with the Seahawks; O.J. Simp- son last played with the 49ers.
In fact, Gore, will be an exception if he finishes with the 49ers. Of the 20 running backs ahead of him on the NFL’s career rushing list, only three — Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Jim Brown — played for one team.
Gore would like a career spent with the 49ers to be part of his legacy. If not, he’s proud of what he accomplished in a decade when he became known for production, toughness and accountability. Gore has spent time on the injury list with ailments to 12 different body parts in his career, but has missed an average of 1.2 games a season. In 2014, he’s one of nine running backs to start 15 games.
Staley put it this way: Even at 70 percent, Gore always gave 100 percent.
It’s one reason Staley wants the best for him next season, wherever it is.
“My teammates respect me,” Gore said. “This organization respects me. My coach- es respect me — the way I come to work, practice and play. … If I’m not here next year, I know that I gave it my all here. I know they will say this guy gave our organization his all. I’ll be fine with it.”