Peaking with one of the signature rushing performances in NFL playoff history, Raheem Mostert‘s 49ers career moved from special teams duty to starter work during San Francisco's NFC Championship season in 2019. However, injuries largely limited the elusive back over the past two years.
But the 49ers still have Mostert on their radar. They remain interested in re-signing the veteran back, according to his agent, who adds (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan) that he and the 49ers have held discussions. Mostert, 30 in April, is set for unrestricted free agency next month.
Mostert would be an interesting addition, considering his rampant injury trouble since September 2020, but those setbacks would make the speedy back a low-cost signing. The 49ers used Mostert as their Week 1 starter in each of the past two years, but he missed 24 games in those seasons. Ankle and knee problems limited Mostert, who led the 2019 49ers with 772 rushing yards (5.6 per carry) and added 220 more in a four-touchdown showing against the Packers in that season’s NFC title game.
Following that season, Mostert and the 49ers went through some turbulence. The ex-special-teamer requested a trade after extension talks stalled. The sides ended up agreeing on a restructured deal in the summer of 2020, however.
Mostert’s latest knee issue led to him waiting for an organ donor before surgery could begin, Chan notes. The former UDFA went down in Week 1 in Detroit. Mostert’s return would almost certainly be contingent on a reduced role, if only to give him a better chance of making it through a season.
San Francisco shifted away from free-agent backs this season, seeing Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman‘s contracts come off their books. The 49ers relied on sixth-round rookie Elijah Mitchell, despite drafting Trey Sermon in Round 3, but saw Mitchell run into injury trouble at multiple points. Mitchell backup Jeff Wilson joins Mostert in being ticketed for free agency.
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