Frank Gore understands his role as he heads into his 16th season.
Gore, who has rushed 3,548 times for 15,347 yards in his career, recently turned 37 and has seen his share of snaps steadily decline over the past five seasons. He went from feature back in San Francisco and Indianapolis to a reserve role in Miami and Buffalo while also embracing his role as a mentor. He will now continue as a backup for Le’Veon Bell on the Jets.
Gore knows what he can and can’t do, and he’s comfortable playing behind Bell while mentoring La’Mical Perine and playing for his old coach, Adam Gase.
“I’m cool,” he told reporters Thursday via video call when asked about backing up Bell. “I’m happy to even be playing this game at my age.”
Bell is part of the reason Gore decided to join the Jets, he said. The combination of his old coach, a young quarterback in Sam Darnold and the presence of one of the best dual-threat running backs made New York appealing to Gore.
“It will be fun,” he said. “I’ve been around a bunch of talented running backs in my career, college and NFL. I’m going to do whatever it takes to help him and help the other guys.”
How the Jets plan to utilize Gore is still unknown, but Gase insinuated Gore’s presence will take the pressure off Bell, who led the Jets in 2019 with a whopping 311 touches. Gore wasn’t a great rusher in 2019, but he did a lot of good dirty work in the trenches to eke out short yards when called upon. He’ll also be a tremendous locker room presence for the younger players, namely Perine.
“Once I get out there, the way I work and [the Jets] see the way I work at my age, it’s going to help this team a lot,” he said.
For one of the least effective rushing teams in 2019, any help from Gore will be a welcome addition.