Getty San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert returned the jersey his friend and former teammate Damien Williams signed after Super Bowl LIV. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
After a long offseason of contract negotiations, San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert is back in Santa Clara, California with a big prediction.
Speaking to members of the 49ers’ media coverage on Wednesday, Mostert touched on several different topics but ended his conference with a direct claim: San Francisco will win the Super Bowl this year.
“We’re going back to the SB and we’re going to win it.” – Raheem Mostert | #49ers
Mostert went on to add to the comment by saying that the team doesn’t feel like it’s missed a step so far, and there is certainly meat left on the proverbial bone after the 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
“We’ve got some unfinished business,” Mostert said. “And we’re gonna take care of business. We feel like we’re back to our Super Bowl form.”
Along with saying that the No. 1 thing he wants to prove in the 2020 NFL season that he is, “one bad mofo,” it appears that Mostert isn’t wasting much time after a summer that featured contract negotiations and a trade request from the 28-year-old running back.
Further Comments During Presser
Mostert also took time to talk about the impact of the coronavirus as a long-term opponent of San Francisco rather than a short-term opponent like the NFL teams that the 49ers will be facing off against week-to-week.
For Mostert, who has a 13-month-old child and another due in September, the sacrifice will be one that is hard but also one that he and his wife discussed in-depth and reach a mutual conclusion on: Mostert will be playing in 2020.
Talk about sacrifice: Raheem Mostert said he will isolate himself from his family in Ohio during the season to make sure he doesn’t spread COVID-19 to him. He has one small child with another on the way. Said his discussions with wife were emotional, difficult.
Mostert said that he and his wife reached that decision thanks to, in part, the 49ers process and regulations in terms of keeping players distanced, safe and as healthy and ready for the 2020 NFL season as possible.
Raheem Mostert said that the #49ers’ players wear monitors around their necks that make a sound when they are closer than six feet apart to promote social distancing.
It certainly is strange times for the NFL indeed.
Mostert also made the interesting statement about becoming the 49ers’ feature running back and also opened up about his perspective when it comes to his contract negotiations with San Francisco.
“I am the starting RB and my confidence level is up to the guys considered top backs” – Raheem Mostert | #49ers
“I knew it’d be right regardless of how it’d play out,” Mostert said. “And I’d be a Niner no matter what. It was about moving pieces, not only contract wise as a business but as a family.”
The running back went on to explain that he and head coach Kyle Shanahan had a discussion recently about the topic, and that the conversation focused mostly on “life” rather than contracts or on-the-field topics.
Mostert Preparing for 20+ Carries a Game in 2020
As a lead back, you have to be prepared for a heavy workload, which Mostert says was something he kept in mind when working out over this year’s offseason.
“It was having more muscle mass and having more endurance so I’ll be able to get 20-something carries a game. Not to say it’s not happening but I have to prepare for it.”
It would be a considerable step up considering that Mostert averaged 8.5 carries a game in the 2019 regular season.
However, his playoff workload was a taste of what we’ll likely see in 2020, totalling 53 carries over the three games, including the impressive 29 touches in his four-touchdown performance against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship win.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.