Frank Gore is headed back to the NFL — but he’s staying retired. The San Francisco 49ers have signed the former longtime NFL running back to a front office position as a football advisor for the 2023-24 season.
49ers president John Lynch, who Gore will be working directly under, said that Gore has been with the team since the spring with an emphasis on evaluating talent.
“He’ll go out on the road with some of our road scouts to make school calls,” Lynch said Saturday in a statement, via ESPN. “He is a smart football mind, and we want to tap into it and he wants to learn from us, so it’s a good thing for everyone involved.”
Aside from the 49ers, Gore suited up for the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. However, the best years of his career bar none were in a San Francisco uniform, as the former Miami star spent a decade with the franchise.
Even though he spent time all over the league during his near two decade NFL career, the future Hall of Famer ultimately wound up signing a one-day contract with the 49ers last offseason to retire in San Francisco.
During his illustrious NFL career, Gore rushed for 16,000 yards and 81 touchdowns — good for third on the all-time rushing list, only behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. Additionally, Gore holds numerous NFL records, including the most seasons with 1,200 yards from scrimmage and most career games played by a running back.
After dipping his toes in the boxing world, Gore returns to the NFL ranks to help the team that he spent 10 of his pro seasons with. His name and opinion carry weight within the franchise, as he put up 11,073 rushing yards during his run with the team — good for the most in San Francisco history.
While Gore won’t be overseeing the running back position, or have any on-field coaching duties whatsoever, having someone like him in the building is a positive for the current Niners running back room. Obviously, Christian McCaffrey is a superstar and just needs to remain healthy to be dominant, but for rotational backs such as Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason to be able to ask his advice at any time is invaluable to their growth.
San Francisco kicks their 2023-24 campaign off on Sept. 10 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers have opened as three-point betting favorites, per Vegas Insider.
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