Mostert meets with official to discuss trade demand
49ers running back Raheem Mostert met recently with a team official to smooth things over nearly two weeks after his agent requested a trade on his behalf.
Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler, told NFL Network on Monday he hopes Mostert’s meeting with “a high-ranking member” of the 49ers will help the two sides come to a positive agreement about his client’s future with the team.
“Hopefully that’ll be the case,” Tessler said about working out the contract dispute.
Mostert emerged as the 49ers’ top running back last season while outperforming the threeyear, $8.7 million contract he signed in the 2019 offseason. The 28-year-old former backup and special teams star led the team with 772 yards and eight rushing touchdowns and also topped all NFL backs by averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He then broke out in a big way in the postseason, no
tably with his franchise-record 220 yards rushing and four TDs in the NFC Championship victory over the Packers.
Tessler approached the 49ers about a pay increase for Mostert but the team balked at adjusting the non-guaranteed contract, which runs for two more seasons. That prompted Tessler to include his frustrations in a Twitter post on July 8.
“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,” Tessler wrote. “Disappointing that it would come to this for a guy who led all NFL RBs in YPC & helped lead them to the Super Bowl.”
The 49ers have said addressing All-Pro tight end George Kittle’s contract is their first priority — and rightly so. Kittle is in the last year of his rookie contract, which calls for $2 million in 2020.
San Francisco, though, cleared the way for more playing time for Mostert when it traded running back Matt Breida to the Dolphins during the draft. Mostert is the presumed starter with Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson Jr. serving as backups.
Part of Tessler’s demand is that Mostert should be paid closer to what Coleman’s deal yields. Coleman’s base salary is $4.55 million, almost $2 million more than Mostert’s $2.575 million, according to OverTheCap.com.
Moster’s current contract carries a maximum of $2.825 million in 2020 while Coleman can earn as much as $4.9 million.