SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 19: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears would be a great trade destination for Raheem Mostert
The San Francisco 49ers had a great NFL offseason. While they did lose some talent, they made up for it with a strong 2020 NFL Draft class and the blockbuster trade for stud left tackle Trent Williams. Nothing could possibly rain on their parade. Well, that was until Wednesday.
Brent Tussler, the agent for running back Raheem Mostert tweeted out that his client has requested a trade off the 49ers after failed contract extension negotiations. The thing is, Mostert is looking for a deal that pays him as much as teammate Tevin Coleman, who’s earning $4.55 million in 2020. But given the amount of money owed to key players in the near future, the 49ers could very well go embrace the “next man up” mantra (i.e. Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson) and opt to move on from Mostert.
If the 49ers grant Mostert his wish, the Chicago Bears should be calling him. Yes, the team that cut him twice in 2017!
Mostert’s breakout 2019 campaign
Prior to the start of the 2019 regular season, it appeared the Bears were going to go with a rush-heavy offense, given the deficiencies of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Chicago had a duel threat in Tarik Cohen and they used their 2019 second rounder on David Montgomery.
Yet, the Bears rushing attack was among the worst in the league, due to the poor showing by Montgomery. To be specific, the Bears totaled 1,458 yards on the ground, the sixth-lowest in the NFL. Adding Mostert could help with bring improvement to that department.
Last season, Mostert broke out as a rotational back for the 49ers. In 16 regular season games, Mostert rushed for 777 yards and eight touchdowns on 137 carries (5.6 yards/carry). But Mostert really shined in the playoffs, as he recorded 336 yards and five scores on 53 carries.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace should be salivating at the thought of adding Mostert to head coach Matt Nagy’s offense. But what will it take to get it done?
What a 49ers-Bears trade could look like
For reference, you’d have to take into consideration that Mostert is looking for a more lucrative contract. Perhaps the most comparable trade to look at is last season’s Kenyan Drake trade, where the Miami Dolphins traded Kenyan Drake to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional 2019 draft pick. That pick ultimately turned into a fifth rounder.
So, the Bears would send a 2021 fifth round selection to the 49ers in exchange for Mostert.
The 49ers get additional draft capital and the Bears create a dominant rushing attack consisting of Mostert, Montgomery and Cohen. That’s a very fair trade.
