frank gore

Report: RB Frank Gore headed to the New York Jets on one-year deal

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New York Giants, Frank Gore

Gore, who will turn 37 next week, joins the New York Jets after previously spending a year under Adam Gase’s watch in Miami.

Running back Frank Gore has signed with the New York Jets, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Gore, who will turn 37 next week, enters the 2020 season as the third all-time leading rusher in NFL history (15,347 yards), behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. He has spent the majority of his illustrious professional career with the San Francisco 49ers and was recently named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team.

The 2005 third-round pick from Miami spent a decade in San Francisco before joining the Indianapolis Colts for three seasons. Since then, Gore has gone on a tour of the AFC East, spent the most recent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills respectively. Last season, Gore was mostly used as a spell option for Devin Singletary and start eight games when the rookie was injured early in the season. Gore tallied 699 total yards and two scores while partaking in Buffalo’s second playoff trek in the last three seasons.

Gore’s New York arrival will reunite him with head coach Adam Gase and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. The triumvirate previously held the same positions during the 2018 season in Miami. Gore failed to score a rushing touchdown for the first time in his career, but led the Dolphins with 722 yards on the ground. His 4.6 average on 156 carries was his best tally since 2012, one of five Pro Bowl seasons with San Francisco (2006, 2009, 2011-13).

Several teams had reportedly vied for Gore’s services in what would be a 16th NFL season. ESM’s own Alex Wilson recently explained why Gore could’ve been a good fit for the New York Giants.

Gase recently hinted that he planned to lighten running back Le’Veon Bell’s workload, telling ESPN’s Rich Cimini “I do think we have some guys that can help maybe lessen the load on (Bell) to where it’s not all on him”. Bell tallied 245 carries, 11th in the NFL, in his first year as a Jet. The addition of Gore gives the Jets a veteran spell option behind Bell. Incumbent backup rushers Bilal Powell and Ty Montgomery remain free agents while inexperienced reigned behind Bell in the form of Kenneth Dixon and Josh Adams. New York also drafted rusher Lamical Perine out of Florida in the fourth round (120th overall) of last month’s draft.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

Should the New York Giants sign bruising running back Frank Gore?

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New York Giants, Frank Gore

Should the New York Giants take a flier on veteran running back Frank Gore to add power and experience to the locker room?

Running backs playing in the NFL for 16 years is not a frequent occurrence, but veteran Frank Gore is an anomaly among the crop. His ability to remain healthy and contribute to successful teams has been his trademark, and he remains available on the free-agent market.

Gore featured with the Buffalo Bills in 2019, logging 599 yards on the ground and 100 receiving yards with two touchdowns to go with it. While his production fell off a bit due to age (36 years old), Gore still proved he can be effective at the NFL level.

His ground and pound style never seems to fail, and he looked the part in year 16. The Giants could use a back with his pedigree and style — this wouldn’t be a Jonathan Stewart type of signing. Gore earned just $1.25 million on a one-year deal last season, which indicates the Giants could likely lure him downstate on a team-friendly, short-term deal.

Gore’s ability to remain healthy year-in and year-out could prove to be valuable for a Giants team that has suffered from injuries in recent seasons. Saquon Barkley battled a high ankle sprain in 2019, missing several games and failing to leave his regular impact. His rookie season showed that Barkley can be one of the best running backs in the NFL, but having capable backups at a historically injured position is a good idea.

The Giants did sign Dion Lewis this offseason to supplement any losses, but his skill-set is tailored for the passing game, as he doesn’t possess the power to run down-hill, between the tackles. Gore can act as a quality pass-catcher and power through on short-yardage situations and goal-line scenarios.

Given how cheap he would be, I wouldn’t be opposed to kicking the tired on the veteran.