DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are reportedly close to a deal with veteran running back Frank Gore.
According to NFL reporter Mike Jones, the Lions and Gore are close to an agreement, as of Wednesday night.
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Source says RB Frank Gore and Detroit Lions close to reaching an agreement. Five-time Pro Bowler rushed for 961 yards (3.7 ypc) w three TDs for Colts last year. Will be 35 in May.
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) March 15, 2018
The five-time Pro Bowl running back will turn 35 before the start of the 2018-19 season. In 13 seasons, Gore has rushed for 14,026 yards and 77 touchdowns. He's also caught 443 passes for 3,672 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Last season, Gore carried the ball 261 times for 961 yards and three touchdowns. He's averaged under 4 yards per carry each of the last three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Gore has played in all 16 regular-season games for six consecutive years. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry in 10 years with the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Colts in 2015.
The Lions have struggled to run the ball basically every season since Barry Sanders retired. Last year, Detroit was last in the NFL with 1,221 rushing yards. The Lions were also last in the league at 3.4 yards per rush.
Ameer Abdullah is the team's leading rusher, but he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry in 165 attempts last season. He's struggled with fumbles and injuries early in his pro career.
Theo Riddick averaged 3.4 yards per carry in 84 attempts, but is much more dangerous in the short passing game.
Tion Green came on late, averaging 3.9 yards on 42 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Detroit hopes to revive its long-dormant rushing attack under new head coach Matt Patricia.