Former San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore continues his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career. He will play in his 16th NFL season after signing with the New York Jets. The running back spent his first 10 seasons with the 49ers, which was followed by stops in Indianapolis, Miami, and Buffalo.
Not only is Gore the 49ers' all-time rushing leader, but he also ranks No. 3 all-time in the NFL with 15,347 rushing yards. Only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton have more.
49ers running back Raheem Mostert burst onto the scene in 2019 after rushing for 772 yards with eight rushing touchdowns on 137 carries. He also found the end zone two more times after hauling in 14 passes. However, it was his 220-yard and four-touchdown performance against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game that made the nation really take notice.
Mostert spoke with reporters on Wednesday via a video conference call and shared that he idolizes Gore, and even once asked Joe Staley about the 49ers legend.
"I asked him, 'What does it take for a guy like me to be like Frank Gore?'" Mostert shared. "Because Frank Gore is my idol. I love watching him play, and I know that Joe was blocking for him when he was here. So, I just asked him the question about Frank Gore, and he just flat out told me, 'Hey, Frankie G, he likes to work.'
"That's something that I try to tell a lot of running backs when they come into this offense. No matter what, if you want to be like somebody, you've got to adapt to their attitude and their mentality, and that's what [Staley] was basically telling me. 'Hey look, you've got to be like Frank, man. You're a great running back, and I can just tell, just by your personality, you've also got ball skills. Frankie G works really hard. He's probably one of the hardest-working guys that I know.'
"I just try to live up to that expectation of Frankie G, and just go out there and try to give it my all."
Mostert scored two rushing touchdowns during Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. He gave one of those footballs to Staley, knowing how important that game was to his former teammate.
"A lot of emotions came out of that for him," Mostert said. "He shared that with me. He was like, 'Hey, Raheem, I want to just thank you for allowing me to spike the ball.' And I said, 'Hey, Joe, I just want to thank you for doing your job on a consistent basis, and being the leader that you are.'"