DAVIE, Fla. _ Miami Dolphins veteran running back Frank Gore received some encouraging news this week.
Gore, a 14-year veteran and the Dolphins' leading rusher, will not need surgery on his injured foot that will sideline him for the final two games of the season.
Gore, 35, is expected to recover from the injury by March and wants to postpone his retirement and return for a 15th NFL season, his agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed to the Sun-Sentinel on Friday.
Gore, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, also wants to return to the Dolphins next season.
"We'll sit down after the season is over. We're not in a rush right now," Dolphins coach Adam Gase said Friday about Gore's intention to play next season.
"I know there were times in the season where I could see he's not close to it being done. We'll sit down and talk about everything, and figure it out."
The Dolphins placed Gore on injured reserve Wednesday, ending his streaks of starting 122 consecutive games and playing in 126 consecutive games.
Gore, the University of Miami great and five-time Pro Bowl selection, suffered the injury during last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Gore led the Dolphins with 722 rushing yards and handled most of the early-down carries ahead of third-year running back Kenyan Drake and rookie Kalen Ballage.
Gore has 14,748 career rushing yards, which places him fourth behind Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269).
