Frank Gore retiring from NFL, eligible for Hall of Fame in five years

Running back Frank Gore has announced his coming retirement. Gore announced in a recent interview with TheSFNiners that he is working on signing a one-day contract with the San Francisco 49ers so he can retire as a member of the team that drafted him in 2005. Gore said that he is looking into a job in the 49ers front due to his love for football and evaluating talent.

Gore retires with exactly 16,000 rushing yards, which places him No. 3 on the all-time list. He finished his career 726 yards behind No. 2 rusher Walter Payton and 2,355 behind No. 1 rusher Emmitt Smith. Barry Sanders trails him by 731 yards while Adrian Peterson has the most rushing yards (14,918) of any active player.

Now that Gore is retired, the clock begins ticking on his eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Hall’s rules require a player be retired five years before he can be eligible. That would make him eligible in 2027 on the ballot of players inducted in August 2028.

The only two players in the top 15 all-time rushing yards who are not in the Hall of Fame are Gore and Peterson.