49ers roster: 3 potentially surprising cuts heading into 2021

No. 1: 49ers Running Back Raheem Mostert

Again, not probable cuts. Shocking ones. But like the previous two, there’s some logic behind why this could happen.

Veteran running back Raheem Mostert doesn’t fit into the Niners’ long-term plans. Certainly not in the final year of his contract and especially not because he’ll turn 30 years old after the upcoming season. And it doesn’t seem to be in San Francisco’s plans to retain runners on the wrong side of that important age benchmark for tailbacks.

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The 49ers may have tipped their hand with regards to Mostert’s future anyway, drafting Ohio State’s Trey Sermon and Louisiana’s Elijah Mitchell last spring. Reports from OTAs suggested both were impressive during practices, and Sermon was getting plenty of work with the first-team unit, too.

A potential replacement for Mostert? Perhaps.

Read More: Why Trey Sermon takes over as 49ers’ starting running back in 2021

Cutting Mostert between now and Week 1 would generate over $450,000 in dead money but with a cap savings of $3.15 million, again making the extension context for Fred Warner look much better. And while this might not be quite as likely in the wake of the Niners losing fellow running back Jeff Wilson Jr. four to six months with a meniscus tear, at least they’d be able to anticipate a midseason return from him.

Meanwhile, Sermon, Mitchell, JaMycal Hasty and the recently added Wayne Gallman would be asked to plug the gap.

It’s certainly not likely Mostert is gone. But if he winds up being cut, there’s a substantial reason why.