49ers news: Raheem Mostert gets the pay raise he wanted
It looks like 49ers running back Raheem Mostert is here to stay!
There was much speculation in recent weeks about the future of San Francisco 49ers breakout running back, Raheem Mostert, following his very public demand to be traded out of the Bay Area following a series of “unproductive” contract talks between the two parties following the 2019 season.
It was being reported that Mostert was demanding that his salary be slightly upgraded so that he could match the salary of fellow Niner running back, Tevin Coleman. It can be assumed that following Mostert’s explosive season, he probably felt he was deserving of the team’s top running back salary, given he led the team in rushing during the regular season and playoffs.
Did I mention he also possessed a whopping 5.6 yards per carry?
Well, it seems like that can all be put to rest as it is now being reported by numerous sources, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mostert has restructured his deal with the Niners:
49ers and RB Raheem Mostert restructured his contract. There will be no trade nor holdout.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 27, 2020
“Happy we got things worked out and looking forward to him having another great season there,” said Mostert’s agent, @TesslerSports. “Thanks to the organization for taking care of him.”
The length of the contract has been kept intact, meaning Mostert is still only tied to the team for the next two NFL seasons and will be a free agent following the 2021 season. Salary-wise, it is now possible through incentives for Mostert to potentially double his current salary for the 2020 season and become the 49ers’ top-paid running back, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero pointed out:
The #49ers gave RB Raheem Mostert a $250,000 signing bonus on his new deal -- making up for a $250K rushing yards incentive he narrowly missed last season, which the team intended to pay him, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 27, 2020
With upgraded incentives, Mostert now can earn over $5M in 2020.
An incentives-based pay raise was always the smart way to go about this when it comes to a player like Mostert. Although he showed an immense amount of promise in 2019, it was still his only truly productive year as an NFL running back after bouncing around the league during his five-year tenure in the league.
This assures that if Mostert replicates his 2019 season’s level of play, he will be surely compensated for it.
The exact details of the incentives laced into the contract are not fully clear, but it is realistic to assume they are achievable given Mostert is utilized as the team’s primary rusher for the majority of the season. The loss of running back Matt Breida through a trade makes it a much less crowded backfield, meaning the one-two punch of Mostert and Coleman will allow for Mostert to absorb a much larger portion of the team’s carries.
This is a very cap-friendly deal, as the immediate 2020 cap hit is microscopic, allowing the team to stay cap-fluid with the expected salary-cap decrease coming following the season.
Next. Early 49ers 53-man roster predictions, training camp edition. dark
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is definitely happy to have one of his most dangerous weapons from the 2019 season returning to the team for what is being deemed a “Revenge Tour” for a Niners team that fell just short in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.