The New York Jets are signing veteran running back Frank Gore to a one-year deal, where he will join Le’Veon Bell in the backfield, Gore’s agent told reporters Tuesday.
Gore, who will turn 37 this month, moved into third place in career NFL rushing yards last year with 15,347, passing Hall of Famer Barry Sanders as he ran for a career-low 599 yards for the Buffalo Bills.
He is unlikely to catch all-time leader Emmitt Smith, who finished his career with 18,355 yards, but he’s just 1,379 yards behind second-place Walter Payton (15,347).
Gore has bounced around the AFC East. After the longtime San Francisco 49ers rusher joined the Indianapolis Colts for three seasons, he moved to the Miami Dolphins for 2018 and Buffalo for 2019.
The Jets signed Bell to be their featured back before the 2019 season, but reports emerged that then-new coach Adam Gase didn’t want Bell. The offensive-minded coach used him curiously in 2019, and Bell finished with just 789 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and one receiving score in 15 games.
Despite Bell’s possible decline and Gore’s age, they give quarterback Sam Darnold a talented backfield tandem entering his third season as the Jets’ quarterback.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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