Is 2020 the end for former SF 49ers running back Frank Gore?

An SF 49ers fan favorite, current NY Jets running back Frank Gore, is done for the 2020 season and might see his storied career come to a close.

SF 49ers fans, and NFL fans in general, could likely be looking at the twilight of one of the greatest careers in sports history.

NY Jets running back Frank Gore, who needs no introduction to the Niners Faithful, is going to miss Gang Green’s final game of the regular season after suffering a collapsed lung in New York’s Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns. And while 2020 hasn’t exactly been kind to the Jets, Gore’s ascent up the record books in his 16th season has surely been something to marvel and enjoy.

It’s possible, too, fans have seen the last of Gore on an NFL gridiron. At least in a playing capacity.

Gore, who’ll turn 38 years old before next season, is a scheduled free agent after inking his one-year deal with the Jets last offseason. With likely major changes to come in New York, probably including the firing of head coach Adam Gase, it doesn’t seem likely the Jets entertain the idea of re-signing Gore.

Age hasn’t been a deterrent in Gore’s career, of course. Back when the SF 49ers thought his career was on the decline at the end of 2014, the future Hall of Famer and franchise’s leading rusher enjoyed a successful tenure with the Indianapolis Colts, then spent one year apiece with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills before landing with the Jets.

And he still managed to rush for an impressive 653 yards for an otherwise anemic New York offense this season.

Yet there’s a chance Gore lacks suitors in 2021. For starters, the diminishing salary cap next season could make for a buyer’s market in the wake of likely league-wide cap casualties to get underneath a projected $176 million cap. With many teams opting not to spend big money on running backs, Gore could end up being a victim of an overcrowded halfback market this offseason.

If Gore wants to continue playing, and there’s no reason to assume he won’t, he’ll only continue to add to his remarkable stat sheet.

Frank Gore’s legacy, cemented with the SF 49ers, continues to impress

Over his 10-year career with San Francisco, Gore secured the franchise’s all-time leading-rusher mark by reaching 11,073 yards on the ground.

While Gore was never exactly the best player at his position any given year and didn’t dominate the game quite like a number of other running backs did throughout his career, the mark of consistency and professionalism made Gore stand out among the rest. Some have argued he doesn’t necessarily belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame because he ended up being a “volume rusher,” accumulating rush yards solely because he stayed active for so long.

A silly argument.

Endurance, durability and longevity are just as important in factoring in Hall of Fame-caliber talent, and Gore checks off those boxes.

And when you consider where he ranks among the NFL’s leading rushers of all time, how can he not be considered a Hall of Fame great?

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 12/28/2020.

Everyone in the top 10 of rushing, outside of still-active players like Gore and Adrian Peterson, is in the Hall of Fame.

And if Gore’s career actually does come to a close, his 16,000 total rush yards seems like the perfect place to stop. A total of 16 seasons. A total of 16,000 rush yards. Just has a nice ring to it.

Of course, fans would love to see Gore continuing to churn out yards well beyond the time most running backs call it quits. And he’s only 726 yards behind the late great, Walter Payton, for No. 2 on the all-time list, so that could be motivation enough.

When Gore does retire, however, he made it clear he was going to do so with the SF 49ers.

And there won’t be a dry eye in the room when that happens.