49ers would be foolish to trade Raheem Mostert given his value

49ers running back Raheem Mostert evolved from an undrafted free agent into one of the most league’s productive running backs in 2019.

Raheem Mostert wants a trade. The San Francisco 49ers should tell him no.

Mostert came from nowhere last year, rushing for 772 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season before his astounding 220-yard, four-touchdown performance in the NFC Championship Game.

Now, Mostert might not return to San Francisco after his breakout campaign, as he has requested a trade following unproductive contract talks, per Ian Rapoport.

As angry as Mostert might be right now, John Lynch can’t pull the trigger and decide to offload a guy who averaged 5.6 yards per carry last year on the NFC champions.

Raheem Mostert emerged as the best 49ers back in 2020.

For all the smoke and mirrors associated with Shanahan’s offense, especially in the passing game, he, like his father, Mike, believed in establishing the run with their zone-heavy scheme. Even when his dad was coaching John Elway, it was Terrell Davis who was running the show on offense.

San Francisco and Baltimore were the only two teams in the league that ran the ball more than they threw it, and San Francisco did a masterful job of splitting carries almost equally between Mostert, Tevin Coleman, and Matt Breida. Mostert led the trio in yards from scrimmage, yards per carry, and touchdowns, establishing himself as an ideal fit for what Shanahan wants to do.

After trading Breida to the Miami Dolphins during the draft, the Mostert-less 49ers would be led in the RB room by Coleman, a former Shanahan devotee in Atlanta who averaged a comparatively paltry 4.0 yards per carry. Jeff Wilson and undrafted free agent JaMycal Hasty round out the depth chart.

Shanahan is an offensive genius, but can he really repeat as NFC champion with a backfield led by a disappointing runner who has played in all 16 games just once in his five-season career? Probably not.