Frank Gore is a week away from his 37th birthday. And he just signed a new deal to join the Jets. That may seem surprising that Gore would still have a team wanting to sign him entering his 16th NFL season, and if that’s surprising to you, consider the Jets weren’t the only team vying for the ageless workhorse back.
The Raiders were the other team looking to add Gore to the mix as he told NFL.com’s Jim Trotter.
According to Gore, he chose the Jets over the Raiders to reunite with Adam Gase, he played under with the Dolphins two seasons ago.
“I got an opportunity to get back with a good friend and a guy I respect, and I’m happy that he wanted me to be on his team,” he told Trotter. “And I’m happy to be around a guy who has done some great things in this league in Le’Veon Bell. That can motivate me. And I can help out the young kid that they just drafted, La’Mical Perine.”
At this stage of Gore’s career, he clearly isn’t looking for a full-time job. And few teams would be looking for that from him. He would have been a complementary piece in Las Vegas as well, behind starter Josh Jacobs. The Raiders also drafted Lynn Bowden Jr with designs on playing him at running back.
Gruden has long been known for adding aged veterans, even at positions with no glaring need for them. That’s what he did in signing tight end Jason Witten this offseason. Today is Witten’s 38th birthday.
Witten came out of retirement last season, re-signing with the Cowboys and showed he still has something to offer, catching 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns. Gore ran for 599 yards (3.6 yards per carry) with two touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 100 yards last season for the Bills. It was the worst season of his career, but clearly he still has NFL interest.
