Aug. 30, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE
49ERS PAGE49ERS VIDEO
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Matt MaioccoCSNBayArea.com
SANTA CLARA -- NFL contracts are a lot like the real-estate market. Teams and agents take a look at comparable players when determining another player's worth.Let's just say . . .Running Back A is 28-years-and-three-months old. He has led his team in rushing all six of his NFL seasons. On 1,371 career rushing attempts, he has gained 6,414 yards (4.7 average) and 35 touchdowns. He has caught 270 passes for 2,283 yards and nine touchdowns. In six years, he has missed 10 games, including five last season with a hairline fracture of his hip. He is 100-percent healthy.Running Back B is three weeks older than Running Back A. He has led his team in rushing once in five seasons. On 841 career rushing attempts, he has gained 4,211 yards (5.0 average) and 31 TDs with 118 receptions passes for 922 yards. In five seasons, he has missed 16 games, including 10 games last year with a mid-foot sprain. He is 100-percent healthy.
Running Back B signed a new contract with the Carolina Panthers last month that pays him 43 million over five seasons with 21 million guaranteed.Running Back B is DeAngelo Williams. Running Back A, obviously, is Frank Gore.Has Gore done enough to warrant a better contract than Williams? There is no question that he has. But the Panthers were very generous in signing Williams to a new deal. The 49ers do not want to use that contract as a comp because they are reluctant to make that kind of long-term commitment to a player they're uncertain can hold up physically beyond the next couple years.
So negotiations continue between the 49ers and Drew Rosenhaus, Gore's agent.
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