Frank Gore told TheSFNiners.com this week that he plans to sign a one-day deal with the San Francisco 49ers, the team that drafted him, and retire from the NFL. It is only a matter of time. “We are still trying to figure out when I will complete my one-day contract, sign it, retire it,” Gore said. “I told (owner) Jed York that I always wanted to be Niner. So we’re working on that right now.” Gore has not played in the NFL since the 2020 season, when he averaged 742 yards and two 203 touches for the New York Jets, his fifth NFL team. Gore, a third-round pick in the 2005 draft, spent the first 10 years of his San Francisco career running for at least 1,000 yards in eight of those campaigns and was named in five Pro Bowls. Since then, the 38-year-old back has played in Indianapolis, Miami, Buffalo and New York. Most recently, Gore was involved in another sport: boxing. Gore trained and played in an exposure match against former NBA player Deron Williams in December. RB lost by split decision. Before the match, Gore told NFL Network Cameron Wolfe that he would welcome another Super Bowl run, possibly with the Niners, but also said “I’m happy to be alive.” If he did retire this season without returning to the field, Gore would finish with 16,000 yards, the third in NFL history behind Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726). The whole of Payton is possible if Gore decides to return, but the run showed that he is more interested in evaluating talent now than in showing his own. “I like to look at talent and I like to evaluate talent and I like the ball,” said Gore, hinting at a future at the Niners front office. “They know that I know footballers, what it takes to be a footballer.”
