San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert has requested a trade, according to his agent Brett Tessler. In a tweet, Tessler wrote, “After months of unproductive talks with the 49ers about fairly adjusting Raheem Mostert’s contract (which paid him for special teams) we have requested a trade.”
After months of unproductive talks with the 49ers about fairly adjusting Raheem Mostert's contract (which paid him for special teams) we have requested a trade. Disappointing that it would come to this for a guy who led all NFL RBs in YPC & helped lead them to the Super Bowl.
— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) July 8, 2020
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport spoke with Tessler, and had this to say on Twitter: “[Tessler’s] request was simply to bring Mostert in line with the highest paid RBs on the team. Tevin Coleman makes $4.55M in 2020 and that’s where Mostert wants to be. He has two years left on his deal.”
Spoke with @TesslerSports about RB Raheem Mostert and his trade demand from #49ers. His request was simply to bring Mostert in line with the highest paid RBs on the team. Tevin Coleman makes $4.55M in 2020 and that’s where Mostert wants to be. He has two years left on his deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 8, 2020
Mostert, 28, went from a role player and special teamer to the 49ers’ top running back in 2019. The Purdue product ran for 776 yards and eight touchdowns (both team-highs) in the regular season, and took things to another level in the postseason: 53 carries for 336 yards (6.3 YPC) and five touchdowns, highlighted by an absurd 220-yard (7.6 YPC), four-touchdown performance in the NFC Championship Game.
The thing is, it’s entirely possible Mostert was this player all along. In 2018, he averaged a ridiculous 7.7 yards over 34 carries. It may have just been a matter of opportunity, which he finally got in 2019.
So, it’s understandable that Mostert would like to see a bump in his contract that has him as the fourth-highest-paid running back (if we include fullback Kyle Juszczyk) on the San Francisco roster. Mostert signed a three-year, $8.7 million contract last year, which will pay him a base salary of $2.575 million in 2020 and $2.875 million in 2021. As a running back that is 28 years old, he may not see the chance to get much more than that when his three-year deal is up. The time is now, and if the 49ers won’t meet his demands, he’d like to go somewhere else.
But the 49ers ultimately should be willing to toss Mostert another $2 million or so per season, especially after they traded Matt Breida (the 49ers’ second-leading rusher in 2019) to the Miami Dolphins. Yes, Kyle Shanahan has been able to get success from seemingly every back he has in his system. But the running game went to another level with Mostert leading the charge in 2019, and why mess with what worked for the NFC champions?