SANTA CLARA — There will always be a link between Joe Staley and Frank Gore, two key ingredients to the 49ers’ run from 2011-2013 that included three straight appearances in the NFC Championship game and one in the Super Bowl.

Staley wouldn’t mind being teammates with Gore once again.

The 49ers, after all, will be flush with salary cap space in 2018 and are somewhat unsettled at the running back position with Carlos Hyde slated to become a free agent. Gore’s contract also expires at the end of this season, and there’s little doubt in Staley’s mind that his former teammate wants to keep playing.

Gore rushed for 11,073 yards over 10 seasons with the 49ers, and after nearly three seasons with Indianapolis, has 13,858 yards and 77 rushing touchdowns for his career.

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“I 100 percent root for Frank Gore,” Staley said. “He’s one of my favorite guys ever, not only in football, but in life. He’s a great human being.”

Gore, fifth on the NFL’s all-time leading rusher list, is 11th in the league this year with 793 yards in 220 carries.

“It’d be awesome. It’d be amazing,” Staley said when asked if Gore could fit with the 49ers’ present regime.

“Frank’s a guy that’s one of a kind. Someone so talented. Puts up the stats and everything you ask from a running back. The attitude he had every single day was just professional. That’s something that would be very beneficial to any locker room.”

Staley and Gore are among eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, given annually since 2014 to the “NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.” For complete 49ers coverage follow us on Flipboard.

Gore, 34, won the award last season. Staley, 33, has been a finalist the last two seasons.

“I’ve been around a long time,” Staley said earlier this week as the 49ers got ready to host Tennessee on Sunday. “I’ve been on the field for a while, so I’ve seen a lot of different players, I treat the game with respect and try to play the game the right way. Maybe that’s noticed.”

Two other former 49ers are also nominated, Washington tight end Vernon Davis and Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith. Other nominees are Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, Carolina’s Luke Kuechly, Detroit’s Haloti Ngata and the New York Jets’ Josh McCown.

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One of the times where Staley wasn’t a particularly great sportsman was in 2013 when the 49ers last played the Titans.

A scuffle, that former coach Jim Harbaugh had to help break up, began when quarterback Colin Kaepernick hit Titans safety Bernard Pollard, who retaliated and promptly got smothered by left tackle Joe Staley. Pollard recovered a fumble on a pass that was ruled incomplete.

“I started it. Yeah, I’m a great sport,” Staley said, recalling the incident. “Just making sure everybody’s energy was up for the game. It felt there was a lull. The fans weren’t getting the show they needed.

“I forgot about that. Bernard Pollard. That’s the one Harbaugh had to jump in the middle.”