Report: Frank Gore expected to sign three-year deal with Eagles

Frank Gore will sign a three-year contract with the Eagles according to Adam Schefter. The deal reportedly is worth $7.5 million guaranteed.

It’s ironic the Eagles want Gore in their zone-read running game, considering Gore never could get acclimated to the Niners’ zone-read package with Colin Kaepernick.

This signing works out perfectly for the 49ers. They no longer have to worry about pushing Gore out the door and getting blowback from the fans. The Eagles gave the Niners an easy out.

At the same time, the Niners now have to sign a running back or draft one. Running back just became a sheer necessity.

This article has 91 Comments

  1. If it were possible to keep Gore (cap issues taking primacy), the Niners should have done. He does everything for this team, he has plenty in the tank, and his presence would have helped ease the transition.

    But best of luck to you, Frank! One of my all-time favorite Niners.

    1. Broken Hip, shoulder injury, 32 years old. No thanks 7.5 million guaranteed. That line isn’t as good in Philly. Need speed Gore doesn’t have.

  2. I love gore. Best 49ers running back ever. He has some left in the tank but, a 3 year deal is crazy!

  3. He never got acclimated because they never stick with one scheme. Not even with Hyde back there did they stick with the read option. I expect him to do pretty well in philly. They spread teams out and give him lanes – something he rarely saw. We can blame gore but some of the blame lies squarely on the offense that never had an identity.

  4. Grant,
    What is your overall impression of Hyde? I think you’ve said in the past that he has to become a more patient runner (which he definitely does), but what are your overall impressions of him as a runner and how do you see him doing production wise this year, assuming he gets the bulk of the carries?

    I like your suggestion of Roy Helu as a FA option as well by the way.

  5. RB becomes a sheer necessity. Really? Don’t you think that’s a little over the top? Gore is going to leave so the sky is falling – Are you related to Chicken Little.

    Carlos Hyde and Kendall Hunter are under contract and the clear 1-2 in 2015. Is the 3rd string RB really a “sheer necessity”? Clearly if there is a RB in the draft the Niners like then fine go ahead but there is no reason for the FO to overpay a RB in FA or reach for a RB in the draft. Keep calm there Grant, how many touches will the 3rd string RB get in a game anyway!!

      1. Razors quote–” Journalistic hyperbole. No more Gore nevermore.” — Great line! One that deserves a lot of Raven.

    1. Unless you are happy going into the season with just two capable RBs, one of which is highly injury prone, then yeah, I’d say signing a FA RB and/ or drafting one is a necessity.

      Take a step back and you will see Grant didn’t say they needed to go get a high priced FA or draft one early. Just that getting one (or two) is now a necessity.

      1. If they sign Torrey, they’ll most likely trade back in the draft to get extra picks. One of those picks will be used on a RB before the 4th round. I really wish they would have hung on to Glenn Winston last year.

        1. Not necessarily. If they sign Torrey Smith it just means they have more leeway to go BPA.

          It worth keeping in mind they will need a WR again next year with this being Boldin’s last year on his current contract and Stevie Johnson likely to be cut if they sign Smith.

          1. True, but I think that unless one of the big three WRs is still available or Vic Beasley, they’ll trade back to get more picks. With Frank gone, unless we pick a good back in FA, Baalke will want to pick a RB earlier than the 4th. He’ll be looking for more picks. Of course this is just speculation.

            1. If the team fills its greatest needs in FA (WR, CB, RB) then I don’t really see why trading back is a great idea this year. They drafted so many players last year that they don’t need a lot of depth guys. Is passing up a chance at a really good prospect at #15 worth getting an extra 3rd rounder this year?

              1. Sound logic, Scooter. What would you think about trading back for a pick next year?

              2. Scooter:

                I think OLB will be a big need. Brooks will be gone and odds are Skuta will too. Lemonier has disappointed and there is no reason to expect improvement.

              3. I agree razor.

                George, with all the FA losses they are expecting this year, the 49ers should get some very nice comp picks in 2016 even if they sign someone like Torrey Smith. Iupati, Culliver, Crabtree and Gore should outweigh the Smith signing you’d think. So while getting an extra pick for next year would never be a bad thing, it looks like the team will have a lot of good picks next year anyway.

              4. Cubus, so do I, as I’ve said before. But they have their starters in place even if they release Brooks so for FA I think it is more about adding depth at the position, and/ or maybe a specialist pass rusher a la Trent Cole.

                OLB is one of those positions I think they will have a shot an excellent prospect at #15 in the draft.

              5. Not really. In most years a guy with his kind of athletic talent from the edge would be a top 10 candidate. Its only because there are so many good looking edge players this year that he may fall outside the top 10.

                He’s raw, and really needs work on his hand usage and technique. But Barr was even more raw last year.

              6. Is passing up a chance at a really good prospect at #15 worth getting an extra 3rd rounder this year?

                It’s going to depend on who still on the board Scooter. If Beasley is there, then I think Baalke would another envelope moment and take him with the 15th pick. Other than that, I don’t see a valid prospect available at the 15th pick.

              7. Mid, you don’t think the guys that may be around at #15 are worth the #15 pick?

                We are definitely seeing some different things. When I look at the prospect rankings on CBS I see the top 15 to 16 guys all being worth a top 15 pick.

                http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings

                There are going to be some very good looking prospects falling outside the top 10 this year. 49ers should have a shot at a very good prospect if they stand pat. But I think the quality starts to fall off after around the top 15 to 20 guys.

              8. Not for me razor. I think CBS are on the money atm rating him as a late first/ early 2nd rounder.

              9. Scooter, I think Dupree has a shot at being a very dynamic threat off the edge in the NFL, but there’s some very real concerns with his game that would ultimately limit his production at the next level without some quality coaching and development. He lacks the bend and flexibility around the edge. Don’t get me wrong, his first step is blazing, but too often I see him fail to breakdown at the mesh point with the quarterback. He’ll take that circuitous route leaving open lanes to run or step up and throw. That inability allows the tackle to run the arc without engaging him. Can’t do that against Wilson especially. For mine, he’s a fringe first rounder….

              10. Dupree definitely has some technique issues to work on. However, he’s got the most impressive physical tools to work with you could ask for in an OLB, and a good motor.

              11. Scooter, if you’ve got Dupree, Malcom Brown, Waynes, Gordon, and Flowers still available at 15, who are you selecting?

              12. Waynes.

                If those were the five choices I could make I’d go Waynes, Dupree, Flowers, Brown, Gordon.

        2. The Niners could do much better and get Jeremy Lankford out of Michigan State this year in the 3rd round.

      2. I guess the adjective “sheer” was what raised my eyebrow. They were going to select one anyways. You don’t think it’s a coincidence this drafts cupboard is full do you? This was planned. Most fans realized this was the year Frank would no longer be a forty niner, and the rest were in denial. I think where they select one will tell us how “unmitigated” a necessity they believe it to be….

        1. I think the phrase sheer necessity is being interpreted incorrectly. People have assumed Grant meant it was now a sheer necessity to go get a high priced replacement in FA or use a high pick in the draft. That isn’t what he said. It may have been what he meant, I don’t know, but I can’t fault the statement – going into the season with just Hyde, Hunter and Hayne would be plain stupid. Signing and/ or drafting a RB pretty much is a necessity.

          1. Not sure why it was anymore a necessity than before the news. Frank wasn’t coming back, and they weren’t planning on just Mr. Hyde and Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hayne, who may or may not make the practice squad. C. J. Spiller is said to be waiting until the running back dust settles. Maybe he waits too long, and the 49ers bring him in at $3.5M for one year. Maybe they take Gordon or Gurly? They were dumb in the manner in which they brought about the Harbaughcalypse, but shrewd in the way in which they’ve set themselves up in this draft and in the way they said goodbye to Mr. Gore. All that’s left now is the typical pomp and circumstance celebration for services rendered. That would be the classy thing to do….

            1. If they brought back Gore then getting a RB would obviously be less of a necessity.

              1. That’s the point. They never planned on Gore being here after his contract obligations were fulfilled….

              2. Yeah, but that was the point Grant appeared to be making. By letting Gore go they now need to find a RB from somewhere else.

              3. Just so happens that somewhere else is right around the corner in a deep draft for the position. Did he just get lucky?

      1. Big time salute to a great 49er and footballer-love you FG be happy in your sunset years.Thank You!

    1. Yep, happy to see he was able to find a good team where he’ll be nicely paid and gets to start. He deserves it. And hopefully he shows he’s still got a few good years left in him.

      In saying that, Grant is right that this probably works out pretty well for the 49ers too. Its a lot of money for a RB that will be 32 years old this season. Now they can say its not that they didn’t want him back, its that they couldn’t afford to pay so much money for him.

      1. Still think he should have went with Indy. I think he would have flourished in that system over philly.

  6. Good luck Gore. You, Willis and V Davis were the sun for this fan in the cloudy days. I’ll be there for the retirement and hanging of the #21.

  7. Think David Johnson from Northern Iowa about the 4th or 5th rd, he would be an excellent 3rd back that could give Hunter a go for the 2nd spot.

    1. David Johnson will likely be gone by the fourth, great prospect.Johnson, Langford or the “Duke” get my thumbs up! Good eye Rick.

  8. They should have allowed Frank Gore to be a career a 49er.
    He earned it just like the all time greats Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig and Tom Rathman.
    Eddie D would have never treated Gore this way.

    1. I might be missing sarcasm in your comment: but I’m pretty sure montana and rice did not end up as career niners.

      Walsh was ruthless when it came to cutting his stars before they got too old.

      I hate to see gore go; but really i hate to lose what gore means more than gore as a player.

      Gore to me signifies the heart/soul of the team, the will to win. He reminds me of the 10 years of ineptitude where he, alex smith, vernon davis and willis were the lone warriors and gave me hope that things would one day turn around. It’s sad to see him go from an emotional standpoint and as a factor which made the 49ers relevant to me personally because of what he represented. But as a player (yards, speed, ypc, touchdowns, etc, etc) I think it was one or two years too late.

    2. All the guys you mentioned finished with other teams. Yeah, he and they all earned it, but it often doesn’t work out that way. Eddie D. & BW treated them exactly the way Frank’s being treated.
      I put up a blurb this morning about how I wanted FG to stay, but TB and everyone hedged their bets after the season, so it seemed like <50% chance of staying all along.
      As to Frank's signing giving the FO public relations cover, I dunno, its a pretty minimal fig leaf if you ask me. Frank saw it coming. They didn't pay him so he walked.
      When Ronnie left he was mad as heck, but later he came to realize BW's ruthlessness was, and is, what's required in the biz. Its a move for the team going forward, but I have to wonder if the Niners offense is going to be better without him in 2015….?
      Ryan Mathews? Please.

      1. I might be a cold hearted fan, but I think the only thing that is owed to players is their paycheck. If they start playing for free then my opinion might change. I do think they did right by Frank by not asking him to restructure his contract this last season. Of course that was mostly because it was end loaded and it would have been wrong for them to do so.

    1. It certainly would be surprising for just that reason, but perhaps Baalke has come to accept that he has a very tough time identifying wideouts in the draft. Such a move would enable him to focus on his strong suit – drafting defensive studs. His OL picks haven’t been great, either, so that’s a worry if they use their No. 1 on a plug-and-play OG.

      1. Not sure how Smith doesnt fit Baalke’s M.O. He’s gone after veteran WR’s every year he’s been the GM.

        1. The expected price tag is what might be surprising. On the other hand, the cap did go up and even though we don’t have a lot of cap space….

          On another note, why do you think we haven’t heard about any restructurings (particularly, Willis)?

          1. Willis isn’t a guy I’d want to restructure. He’s getting up there in age and adding years isn’t the way I’d look to go there.

            Actually, if I knew Bowman was 100%, Willis would be on the block.

        2. Not only does it fit what Balke has done but it’s the perfect piece to this offense. Ask yourself when’s the last time a 26 year old Wr who is very well regarded as speed demon hit the open market.. Other then Mike Wallace of course.. There rare to find.

          1. Yes, it would be a great signing. Would love to see it. Just don’t understand how Baalke would manage it.

        3. I’m talking about the cost and its effect on the overall salary structure of the team, not that he doesn’t go after veteran WRs every year he’s been GM.

          1. They would have to cut Stevie Johnson and that would save $6 million. Rumour is that Torrey Smith would average about $8 million per year.

  9. Big love for my boy Frank Gore, your warrior’s heart and passion for the game no matter what the team record was will never be forgotten my man!
    God speed on your new venture.

    Ok C.Hyde, it’s your turn now. You have some mighty big shoes to fill, go out and do it bud.
    I’m ready to ride Hyde!

  10. Torrey Smith wrote a letter to the Ravens thanking them. He said he chose his next team. Rumor has it he chose the niners. Not official but that’s what the NFL circles are saying.

  11. Congratulations to Frank with being able to secure a three year deal. You will be playing for an innovative HC. Eagles are getting a fine man in Frank Gore whose life ‘is’ football.

  12. Didn’t Torrey Smith run back a kickoff return on us? If we sign he, will he assume that role as well?

  13. Frank Gore: Heart and sould of the 49ers for a decade.

    Jed york: idiot grandchild of some guy who made a fortune in Shopping malls.

  14. I was planning on getting a Gore jersey, guess I still should. It will come cheap and he’ll retire a niner.

    1. A bunch of us should get a Gore SF jersey just out of respect; I guess I will. But Jed gets the proceeds so it ain’t much of a poke in his eye.
      I just e-mailed my older brother in Philly and told him they’re going to like Frank better than Ricky Waters or T.O.
      SF got a good season out of Charlie Garner from Philly. Frank will give them at least one.

  15. Bye bye Frank Gore. One tough hombre. I hope he does well. For once he gets to play vs defenses that don’t have nine in the box on first and ten.

    The money was just too high. I’m not faulting Baalke.

    Baalke said many times his ideal is a committee of three running backs. Baalke will draft one, maybe even two backs.

  16. A silver lining to Gore getting a relatively big contract… adds more to the (semi-secret) compensatory formula.

    Gore, Iupati, Crabtree, Culliver should garner some nice compensatory value in 2016. (Even with the Smith signing)

    Has any team ever gotten a 2nd round compensatory pick? They highest are usually 3rd rounders.
    Has any team ever gotten multiple 3rd round compensatory picks?

  17. I suspect that there will never be another Frank Gore! Wish him the best of luck in Philly. The move was best for all concerned. Perhaps the teams over all luck is about to change. It couldn’t continue the way it has for much longer.

    Perhaps Baalke’s focus is about to change from the future to what is in the Niners immediate best interests now that Harbaugh is gone. He may surprise a lot of us.

  18. awesome for frank, if this is true, this should get him to canton.

    1 more 1k season or 2 more 600-700 yard = almost a lock to get in.

    if he somehow plays two very hot years or three ok years, this will aproach first ballot territory.

    being on a contender with playoff games and maybe even more for a couple of years should also help.

    go frank, all the best!

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