Running back Raheem Mostert was cut as a member of the Chicago Bear practice squad in 2016, opening the door for an opportunity with his seventh NFL team.
After joining the 49ers’ practice squad in November 2016, he met perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley in the team’s Santa Clara cafeteria.
“Joe took me under his wing,” Mostert said during a video call Wednesday with Bay Area reporters. “I knew who he was. I always sat down with him. I wanted to pick his brain. I know he’s one of those guys who was a leader on the team. He’s going to be a forever 49er.”
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What interested Mostert the most was gaining some insight into Frank Gore, who spent the first 10 years of his career with the 49ers. Gore was well on his way to the spot he currently occupies as the third-leading rusher in NFL history.
So Mostert asked the question: What does it take for a guy like me to be like Frank Gore?
“Frank Gore was my idol,” Mostert said. “I love watching him play, and I knew Joe was blocking for him when he was here.”
The answer Staley gave Mostert was simple. Gore took no short cuts on his road to becoming one of the most consistent running backs in league history.
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“He just said flat-out, ‘Frankie G., he likes to work,’” said Mostert, whom six NFL teams cut before he came to the 49ers.
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After working his way to a stable role as a special-teams performer with the 49ers, Mostert became the team’s break-out star late in the 2019 regular season and throughout the playoffs. Mostert rushed for a 49ers-record 220 yards and four touchdowns in the club’s 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
“I try to live up to that expectation of Frankie G, and go out there and give it my all,” Mostert said.
[RELATED: Staley explains special bond with former 49ers teammate Gore]
Thankfully for Mostert, he was able to show his appreciation to Staley before it was too late. With less than six minutes remaining in the Week 17 game at Seattle, Mostert scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to give the 49ers a 12-point lead. He sought out Staley to hand him the ball to spike in the end zone.
After he announced his retirement this offseason after 13 years in the NFL, Staley recalled what that spike meant to him. The 49ers clinched the NFC West and home-field advantage in the playoffs with the victory over the Seahawks.
“I remember just being like, ‘I've been waiting my whole career for this spike’ and I just put everything I had,” Staley said. “And, also at the last second, I was like, ‘Don't fall over.’ So, talk about most memorable moments in my life, that spike meant a ton to me personally just because of all the heartache that we had in Seattle throughout the years.”
Mostert said it was his privilege to share that moment with Staley.
“Right there that just tells you what he epitomized as far as being a Niner,” Mostert said. “Just the relentless effort, the great human being that he is, great father, great brother, everything. I can’t thank him enough just because he’s always going to be a nice guy.”