CSN Bay Area

In the week leading up to the 49ers’ final regular season game, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke spoke with running back Frank Gore in the team's weight room and expressed his desire to re-sign Gore for the 2015 season.

Now, apparently, Gore is having some doubts whether the 49ers actually want him back for his 11th NFL season.

Gore expressed his feelings on Sunday night in a post on Instagram:

“I know the fans love me but I need to know if the management does but I'm going to love my fans no matter what.”

Earlier in the evening, Gore posted another message: “(What) should I do(?)”

Gore, the leading rusher in franchise history, ranks 20th on the NFL’s all-time list with 11,073 yards. He has gained more than 1,000 yards in eight of his 10 NFL seasons.

“He would certainly like to be back, and we would certainly like to have him back,” Baalke told CSNBayArea.com on Dec. 23. “Now, whether we can make that a reality or not, time will tell.”

Gore earned $6.45 million in each of the past two seasons. It appears likely the 49ers’ offer to Gore will represent a pay cut. The team invested a second-round draft pick in Carlos Hyde last year. The team also signed Kendall Hunter to a contract extension during the season while Hunter was rehabbing from ACL surgery.

“You have to look at the situation,” Baalke said. “Frank is going to want to discuss his role, and what that role is going to be moving forward. What is the contract itself going to look like? We can both want each other’s company, but to make that happen, there are hurdles that are going to have to be crossed.”

Gore, who turns 32 in May, finished the season strong with the 49ers. He gained 158 yards against the San Diego Chargers, and followed that up with a 144-yard performance against the Arizona Cardinals to finish with 1,106 yards rushing on the season.

“I cried today because when I first got here I was 21,” Gore said after the regular season finale. “I’ve never been in this situation. I’m not under contract, and knowing this could be my last game here. It was tough. It was tough because that’s all I know. When I got here, I was a kid.”

The 49ers are expected to speak with most of the representatives of their free agents this week during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Agent Drew Rosenhaus represents Gore.