Frank Gore on why he picked Colts: I wanted to play with a great QB
Frank Gore doesn't seem to think there are any great quarterbacks on the roster in Philadelphia.
By
John Breech
•
2 min read
If the Philadelphia Eagles had anything resembling a franchise quarterback on their roster, Frank Gore probably would've signed with them, but they don't, so Gore signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
That's the simple explanation behind a confusing 48 hours that started on March 8 when Gore agreed to contract terms with the Eagles. However, Gore wasn't allowed to sign until March 10 and by the time the 10th came around, Gore had decided he didn't want to go to Philadelphia.
In the end, Gore changed his mind because he wanted to play with a "great quarterback," something the Eagles couldn't offer.
"When I knew I wasn't going back to the 49ers, my first option was I wanted to be with a great quarterback," Gore told ESPN's Josina Anderson, via the Colts official website. "I feel that you have to have a great quarterback to have a chance. [Andrew] Luck is a young quarterback and he does everything. He can throw. He can run. He’s physical. He's a leader."
With Luck under center, the 31-year-old Gore felt like he had a better chance to win in Indy than he would in Philly.
"I don't know how many years I've got left, two, three, but I want to have the opportunities to get back and chase that trophy I really want before I leave," Gore said.
So how close was Gore to signing with the Eagles?
It sounds like he was going to sign with Philly if the Colts weren't ready to match the three-year, $12 million deal that the Eagles offered, a contract that included $7.5 million in guaranteed money.
"I told my agent to talk back with the Colts and see if they would match the deal or make it better," Gore said. "And they did. [Indy's] where I wanted to be so that's why I made the decision."
If Gore's main concern was a quarterback, he definitely made the right decision, mainly because no one knows who's going to be under center for Philadelphia in 2015.
When Gore agreed to terms with the Eagles on March 8, Nick Foles was the quarterback. By the time Gore would've been allowed to sign with Philly -- on March 10 -- Foles was already gone in a trade with the Rams and Sam Bradford was the new No. 1 quarterback.
The quarterback musical chairs in Philadelphia might not end there, either. There's always a chance that Chip Kelly could trade up for Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft.
As for the Colts, Gore will definitely get a warm welcome in running back-hungry Indianapolis. Gore ran for 1,106 yards last season, a total that hasn't been reached by any Colts running back since Edgerrin James in 2005.
