Frank Gore isn't ready for the final chapter of his NFL career.
The veteran running back signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills in free agency, and he still thinks he has a lot left in the tank. Once it reaches empty, Gore knows exactly where he wants to be: With the 49ers.
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"[I was] there 10 years, man," Gore told Damon Bruce on 95.7 The Game on Friday. "They was the ones that gave me the first opportunity to play in the [NFL]. Coming out of college I was injured, and they still gave me the opportunity to get to that level I always wanted to get to as a kid."
"I started there, and I'm going to finish there. When I'm done, whenever I feel like I'm done, I'm gonna come back and retire as a Niner."
The 49ers drafted Frank Gore in the third round out of the University of Miami in 2005. Gore tore his left ACL twice while with the Hurricanes, and there were questions about his durability.
San Francisco 49ers
Now, Gore is entering his 15th NFL season. With 14,748 rushing yards, he ranks fourth on the league's all-time rushing list. Gore needs just 521 yards to pass Barry Sanders for third.
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The Bills will be Gore's third team in the last three seasons, but he will be best remembered for his decade with the 49ers. He rushed for 11,073 yards and 64 touchdowns in 148 games -- each of which is a team record -- with San Francisco. Gore wasn't exactly a compiler, either, as his 74.8 rushing yards per game are the second-most in franchise history.
His No. 21 is a lock to be retired once he hangs up his cleats, and Gore seems to know that as well as anyone.