NFL Running Backs Who Will Look Old in 2011

Thirty has traditionally been the cutoff for an NFL running back's prime, therefore at the age of 28-30, many feature running backs tend to see their numbers depreciate as they hit the downhill slope of their careers.

This slideshow goes through a few veteran running backs varying from the age of 28-34 who will look old in the 2011 season.

Frank Gore, San Fransisco

San Francisco's two-time Pro Bowl running back, Frank Gore, is heading into his seventh season in the NFL. Gore is probably the 49ers' best offensive threat, but trade rumors are swirling as the team has yet to reach an agreement on a new deal for their star veteran running back.

Should the 49ers decide to part ways with Gore, they could end up with regrets. Then again, re-signing an aging running back is a major risk, especially since Gore missed the final five games last season due to a hip fracture.

With that said, Gore's production last season before getting injured was just as good or better than the three years previous, averaging between 73 and 80 yards per game. However, Gore has been the top running back for San Francisco since 2006 and is one of few running backs who has single-handedly taken a large majority of his team's carries for five straight years. The hip injury which sidelined Gore for the end of last season could be the first warning sign that his aging has started to kick in.

One argument may be that if the Panthers just re-signed DeAngelo Williams, who is the same age as Gore, then why can't the 49ers re-sign their top running back?  But take a look at who's next on the list.

DeAngelo Williams, Carolina

The first question to be asked is whether the Carolina Panthers' 28-year-old running back, DeAngelo Williams, is worth the five-year, $43 million contract he received prior to the season's start. The contract, which includes $21 million guaranteed, is quite large for a guy who is reaching the post-prime years for a running back. As mentioned before, any time a team signs an aging running back, they are taking a risk because their shelf lives are not as long as other players.

Calling Williams old may be premature since he hasn't handled an overly large amount of carries in his career, but at the same time he was sidelined for the duration of last season due to a foot injury.

With that said, in Williams' best two years in 2008 and 2009, he was sensational, averaging over five yards per carry, highlighted by an incredible 20 touchdowns in 2008. There is definitely reason to see why the Panthers wanted to retain Williams, but getting back to his old numbers after missing most of last year and hitting the age of 28 just doesn't seem feasible.

Willis McGahee, Denver

Willis McGahee's stats have been on the downhill slope for the last few seasons, leading the Baltimore Ravens to opt out of re-signing him. But the Denver Bronco's still saw something in the 29-year-old running back and snatched him up quickly on a four-year deal.

Playing behind Ray Rice, McGahee is coming off of the worst season of his career statistically, taking just 100 carries and averaging only 3.8 yards. Although McGahee will probably be good for the Broncos in the red zone, just as he was for the Ravens, don't anticipate his career making a reemergence.

Ricky Williams, Baltimore

At 34, Ricky Williams is getting up there in age. After Willis McGahee left for Denver, the Baltimore Ravens picked up Williams to replace him.  

Although Williams seemed to have defied aging at 32 when he rushed for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2009, one would have to be delirious to think that Williams' career is again going to be resurrected this season.  First of all, Williams production dropped to just 673 yard and two touchdowns in 2010.  Secondly, Williams will be backing Ravens' star running back Ray Rice and mostly filling the third-down back role.

LaDainian Tomlinson

At 32, LaDainian Tomlinson has failed to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season just two times during his 10-year NFL tenure.  Those two times happened to be in the past two years, the initial sign that the veteran running back is finally aging.

This season, for the first time in his career, Tomlinson will not be the feature back on his team and instead will slide into the role of third-down back for the New York Jets. Because of this, the future Hall of Famer's production will drop for obvious reasons.

Tomlinson though, has accepted the role and says this is a place where he saw himself eventually being later in his career, but he still has high expectations. The NFL's record holder for single season touchdowns is not entirely satisfied with his accomplishments and, in what could be his final year playing football, is still eyeing a Super Bowl championship.

The Jobless

Other running backs who have revealed their aging over the past few years and are currently jobless include Clinton Portis, Brian Westbrook, Julius Jones and Fred Taylor.  Also among the jobless is Tiki Barber, who claimed to be coming out of retirement this year, but has yet to find a team to un-retire with.

All five of these players were feature backs at one point or another in their career, but they may currently be facing retirement with very few teams showing interest in the veterans.