It sounds like there isn’t much love lost between Raheem Mostert and his former team.
The Dolphins running back was critical both of the 49ers’ handling of his injuries and his former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in a piece by Tyler Dunne.
“We have way more talent here,” Mostert said. “It’s going to get spooky.”
When comparing Garoppolo to current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Mostert said:
“We have a quarterback who can actually sling it.”
But Mostert reserved his real criticism for the 49ers organization, who he says tried to get him to play when he was injured, and then punished him for not playing when he hit free agency.
“It isn’t right,” Mostert says. “And it’s up to the player to step up and say, ‘This isn’t right. I don’t think this is the best of my interest.’ Sometimes, you don’t get that with players. But, for me, that was my case. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew exactly how I’d handle the situation. I knew exactly — coming off rehab — what I needed to do in order to get back on the field.”
He so many nicks throughout his turbulent NFL career, Mostert wanted to be as healthy as he possibly could. Knee injuries can render running backs sad, slow reincarnations of what they once were. You’re often deemed damaged goods. Replaceable. Sent to the Goodwill bin in favor of someone younger, healthier, with much less mileage. Mostert weighed all pros and all cons when he decided to sit out the season. He knew how much he was risking — the decision absolutely pissed the 49ers off — but he also knew how hard he would work.
When free agency hit, he believes the 49ers used his decision against him.
“Yeah, they did,” Mostert says. “They definitely did. I moved on from the situation. I have the opportunity to see them.”
Next weeks matchup just got a whole lot spicier.