AP

With running back LeSean McCoy and his north-of-$11-million cap number about to be off the books, the Eagles can use that money to acquire multiple running backs.

One of them could be ageless wonder Frank Gore.

Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com reports that the Eagles have expressed interested in Gore. Philly could end up signing Gore, 31, as early as Tuesday, the first day of the free-agency period.

The news comes at a time when the 49ers have expressed optimism regarding their ability to keep Gore around for at least another season. Of course, they’ve had months to keep him around; it’s obvious Gore wants more than the 49ers want to pay. So the 49ers apparently will see what his market is before making a final decision.

The problem for the 49ers is that Gore doesn’t have to let them make a final decision. Like DeMarco Murray in Dallas, there’s a chance that guys who had to show that someone else wants them in order to get a deal done with the team that should want them more than anyone will want to get a fresh start.

Gore, who hasn’t missed a game since 2010, has nine 1,000 yard rushing seasons and 11,073 yards for his career. He has averaged 4.5 yards per carry in a career that has included 2,442 of them.

It’s unclear what the Eagles would pay Gore. The running back market seems to be rallying this year, with the Bills trading for McCoy’s $10.25 million compensation package, the Seahawks giving soon-to-be-29-year-old Marshawn Lynch $12 million for 2015, the Vikings supposedly wanting to pay soon-to-be-30-year-old Adrian Peterson $12.75 million, and the Saints signing Mark Ingram to a four-year, $16 million deal even though he’s 0-for-4 when it comes to racking up 1,000-yard seasons.