Deebo Samuel, Raheem Mostert add to 49ers-Dolphins hype

There's already a lot of hype surrounding the Week 13 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. It's the first contest between Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and his former mentor, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. It will feature two former San Francisco running backs, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., returning to Levi's Stadium.

Mostert joined McDaniel in Miami as a free agent this offseason. The 49ers traded Wilson to the Dolphins on November 1 after acquiring Christian McCaffrey.

The hype is seemingly growing in the week leading to the game. 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel jokingly tweeted, "Raheem be real with yourself," to his former teammate after Mostert commented about his former squad.

The comment that has gained the most attention came after Go Long founder and writer Tyler Dunne asked Mostert what makes the Dolphins offense different from the one he was a part of with the 49ers.

"We have a quarterback who can actually sling it," Mostert responded while praising his current quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

That comment was perceived as a potential dig at 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Mostert didn't appreciate that, indicating on Monday that the comment was taken out of context. The running back tweeted that he was complimentary of Garoppolo. However, at least in the tweets promoting the feature, those praises were omitted.

Mostert did add that he wasn't too pleased with how the 49ers reacted when he opted to undergo season-ending surgery following a knee injury suffered during last season's regular-season opener. The team initially estimated that their starting running back would miss about eight weeks. Mostert's decision "absolutely pissed the 49ers off," wrote Dunne.

"It isn't right, " Mostert told Dunne. "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 of rehab—what I needed to do in order to get back on the field."

Dunne reported that Mostert felt the 49ers used the decision against him once he hit free agency.

"They definitely did," Mostert said, per Dunne. "I moved on from the situation. I have the opportunity to see them."

Sunday's matchup at Levi's Stadium features two division leaders and a whole lot of familiarity between the two teams despite the last meeting coming in 2020. It sounds like at least one 49ers beat writer is pumped for this weekend.

Matt, stop trying to make "fetch" happen.