3 options 49ers have to replace Raheem Mostert if he leaves
By Robert Smith
No. 1: A Potential Trade
This option would probably be the least likely to occur. The team is bumped up against the cap, so a later-round draft pick rather than a player exchange would probably be the offer. A potential fourth-round pick might be the most they could get for Raheem Mostert and still leaves a void to be filled this season.
If a player-for-player trade were to happen, the most intriguing scenario would be for current Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette. Fournette is set to become a free agent after this season after the Jags declined to pick up his fifth-year option.
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The 2019 season saw Fournette finish sixth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage, as he gained 1,152 yards on the ground and another 522 yards receiving.
That type of production, running and receiving, could allow Kyle Shanahan to scheme a multitude of similar-looking formations with different plays run from each.
While the cap hit for Fournette this season is $8.6 million, perhaps a few tweaks to the roster and some creative cap-ology by Paraag Marathe could create enough space to retain Fournette beyond this season.
The reality is that although none of us knows what exactly is being communicated by either side behind closed doors, Mostert and the team will more than likely find a moderate landing place for him to get a salary boost and more financial security.
John Lynch is learning firsthand about the challenges of not only building a championship-caliber roster, but how he can keep that roster intact in the salary cap era. He, along with the rest of the front office, will be earning his salary over the next few seasons in the Bay Area.
Next. 5 possible trade destinations for Raheem Mostert. dark
But if his performance as general manager over these past few seasons is any indication, the 49ers organization will be just fine.