What It Means:

Mostert and the 49ers have been engaged in discussions around adjusting his contract, which currently pays him as a special teams contributor, for months. According to Tessler, those talks were unproductive and Mostert, who is looking for compensation more in line with his production as a running back, is now looking for a trade. Mostert played in all 16 games for the 49ers last season, recording 137 attempts for 772 yards (5.6 per attempt), and 8 rushing touchdowns, while adding 14 catches on 21 targets for 180 yards (12.9 per reception) and 2 receiving touchdowns. His 29 attempt, 220-yard performance against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship helped advance the 49ers to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was Pro Football Focus' 21st ranked running back last season, with a grade of 75.5, and his 5.6 yards per attempt was second in the league (min 61 attempts). It remains to be seen if the 49ers will consider trading Mostert or renew their efforts to sign him to a new deal, but if he ultimately does leave the team, Tevin Coleman would be in line for a large increase in opportunity, with Jerick McKinnon (ACL) still working his way back to full health.

Among running backs with at least 130 carries last season, Mostert ranked 1st in Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per carry, 6th in Rushing NEP, and 10th in Rushing Success Rate. If Mostert remains with the 49ers, our models project him for 204.5 attempts for 908.3 yards and 7.9 rushing touchdowns. He is the RB24 in our preseason rankings.