According to both Adam Schefter and Matt Maoicco, Drew Rosenhaus, Frank Gore's agent, is set to meet with the 49ers' chief negotiator Paraag Marathe Monday to discuss the terms of a desired contract extension. Gore, 28, has been hoping these past few weeks to get the deal done so he can focus on football, but no agreement is yet in sight. This isn't sitting well with the 49ers' third all-time leading rusher.
Per Maoicco:
Frank Gore's frustration has grown to the point that those around him say they've never seen the 49ers' running back as frustrated as he's been over the past couple weeks. One team source said Gore has uncharacteristically "snapped" at some of the team's assistant coaches as his concern has grown over not receiving a contract extension.
Gore has stated numerous times that he'd like to retire as a 49er and San Francisco has no reason not to keep him around for the right price, but the reported deal Gore is seeking is what has led them to balk. 28-year-old running backs with injury histories aren't the safest investments, historically. It's a position in which players take a beating, the average career lifespan is very short and at the age of 30 (or even 28, 29), you typically see a precipitous drop in production and effectiveness. It's something that the 49ers surely have in mind.
As a Seahawks fan I have developed an aversion to the idea of giving aging running backs a big contract in honor of past accomplishments -- in '06, after his MVP season, the Seahawks gave Shaun Alexander an eight-year, $62 million contract ($15.1 million of which was guaranteed and $15 million to be paid in the first year of the contract... yikes) at the age of 28. He was out of the league two years later. Buyer beware.
For more 49ers coverage and discussion, head on over the Niners Nation.