09 Jul Raheem Mostert Wants a Trade… How Did We Get Here?
Well Faithful, this just got interesting! On Wednesday, 49ers RB Raheem Mostert’s agent Brett Tessler sent shock-waves throughout the NFL when he tweeted out the following:
Wow! Talk about out of the blue. Now don’t get me wrong, I knew they were renegotiating his contract for the last few weeks. However, I did not expect his agent to come out and publicly request a trade on Twitter.
Let’s take a look at how we got to this exact point…
Mostert had been a journeyman RB/ST up until his time with the 49ers. He entered the league with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 after going undrafted. Now, even though he excelled in his first preseason (157 rushing yards/191 receiving yards, led the NFL in preseason total yards from scrimmage), Mostert would be apart of the unfortunate roster cuts that come with the end of the preseason. He was signed to the Eagles’ practice squad, where he would not last long.
About a week later, the Miami Dolphins signed Mostert off the Eagles’ practice squad. He would stay on the Dolphins’ roster for about a month, before being released. However, he again would not be on a practice squad for long. Actually, he didn’t make it to the practice squad at all, as he did not clear waivers and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens only one day after being released.
In Baltimore, Mostert returned five kicks for a total of 164 yards in seven games. Unfortunately, he would again be on the move, as he was cut about two months later. Yet again, he was a hot commodity and did not clear waivers. His next gig was in the lovely city of Cleveland. He was immediately named the starting kickoff-returner for the remainder of the season (three games) and would go on to return 12 kicks for a total of 309 yards.
You may be thinking, “Zach, what’s with the biography?” I promise you there’s a point — and I’m almost there!
Although Mostert signed the Browns’ one-year tender offer in 2016, he would once again be waived by the Browns. This time, however, he would not be claimed off waivers. He would go on to sign with the New York Jets practice squad, only to be released about a week later.
Raheem Mostert had one brief stop before finding a home in Santa Clara with the 49ers, and that stop was in the Windy City. After being signed to the Bears’ practice squad, he was elevated to the active roster and even appeared in a couple games for the Chicago Bears. He would be released on October 3, 2016 to be re-signed to their practice squad on October 4th, and then to be released yet again on November 24th.
Finally, Raheem was signed to the 49ers’ practice squad four days after being released from the Bears. He was promoted to the active roster on December 31st for the regular season finale, and he totaled 68 return yards and 6 rushing yards.
In 2017, he would spend the majority of the season on injured reserve. He finished the year with 30 rushing yards on 6 carries and 83 return yards after appearing in 11 games. Had the journeyman practice-squader finally found a home?
Something changed recently in Santa Clara — the 49ers had a new head coach. A head coach with the last name “Shanahan.” Every running back’s dream is to play under Mike or Kyle Shanahan, and well, Raheem was about to live “The Dream.” After a non-eventful start to the 2018 season, he finally found a role in week 6 against the Green Bay Packers — on nationally-televised Monday Night Football, I might add.He finished the night with 87 yards on 12 carries, and although the team loss, this was a major win for Raheem Mostert. He finally had an opportunity and he made the most of it, and on national television!
The next week against the Los Angeles Rams, Mostert would follow up that breakout performance with 59 rushing yards. Nothing special, but still noteworthy from the former practice squad RB. During week 9 against the Oakland Raiders (again on nationally-televised Thursday Night Football), he scored his first NFL touchdown on a 52-yard run! However, Mostert would suffer a devastatingly-gruesome arm fracture during that same game. He was placed on injured reserve, ending his breakout season in it’s tracks.
Heading into the 2019 season, Mostert was finally able to sit down with his agent and negotiate a contract with the 49ers’ front office. They agreed upon a three-year deal worth $8.65M in March of 2019. It was the largest payday for the journeyman running back to date, and it proved one thing — Kyle Shanahan saw something in him.
He would go on to have the best season in his career, totaling the below stats per ESPN:
“It proved one thing — Kyle Shanahan saw something in him.”
Raheem Mostert finally did it. He finally proved he not only belonged in the NFL, but that he could be one of the best at his position! After years of going from team to team, practice squad to practice squad, he seemed to have finally found a home with Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers.
This post may have seemed long and boring, with the majority of action happening at the end. However, that is largely how Raheem Mostert’s career has been. Before this past season, he had not accomplished much in the NFL. Chalk it up to misfortune or lack of real opportunities, however the reality of the NFL is that it is an unfair game. Not everyone will get a fair shake.
Whether you agree with Raheem Mostert’s reasoning behind requesting a trade after one breakout year or not, it just seems baffling to me to request to leave the only place you’ve found success at. I think he would have more of an argument if he sustained that level of play for at least another full season.
What do you think? Is Raheem Mostert justified in his requests? Should the 49ers give in? Comment your thoughts below!
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