Trent Baalke: 49ers Want to Re-sign Frank Gore

INDIANAPOLIS -- If there were any doubt regarding whether or not the San Francisco 49ers want Frank Gore back for an 11th season in red and gold, general manager Trent Baalke made the organization’s intentions perfectly clear on Wednesday.

“We’re going to do what we can to get him back as a 49er,” Baalke said in front of a packed media crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Gore, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, is set to become a free agent this offseason for the first time in his distinguished career.

Baalke confirmed to reporters that the two sides have engaged in conversations recently.

“I talked to him the other day on the phone,” Baalke said. “He’s a very good football player and one of the most, if not the most, passionate football players I’ve ever been around.”

Gore’s numbers were up and down in 2014, but he ended the year with consecutive stellar performances in the team’s final two games.

Against the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals, Gore rushed for a combined 302 yards on 51 carries to finish with his eighth 1,000-yard season and surpass 11,000 total yards for his career.

Asked on Wednesday if Gore, who turns 32 in May, can still play at an elite level, Baalke responded emphatically.

“Everyone asks that question all the time. I think I’ve been asked that question for five straight years now,” Baalke said. “Frank is the Energizer battery, he just keeps on ticking.

“In the last two games of the season, I think you saw what Frank still has left in the tank.”

If the 49ers are unable to sign Gore, the team would likely turn to Carlos Hyde and Kendall Hunter to carry the load in 2015.


(49ers.com)