Gutierrez: From New Smyrna surf to NFL turf, Raheem Mostert's balance powers his game

Oct 31, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Paul Gutierrez

Raiders Columnist

There's something about that sense of deja vu that comes over Raheem Mostert the instant the football hits his belly on the handoff and he peers out at what's ahead of him.

Something…preternatural.

"When you're reading certain looks and holes, sometimes you've just got to ride the wave," Mostert said, matter-of-factly. "I just view it as me literally surfing on the field. Just watching how the O-line pushes the defenders past. And then, that's my shot to be in that tunnel and just spring out."

If it sounds like the Raiders running back was comparing hitting the hole on the gridiron to hanging loose on a monster wave on the "Upon Further Review" podcast, well, Shaka, brah. Because as Mostert tells it, balance is the key and common denominator to experiencing success, be it by land or by sea. The skills translate.

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And while rookie running back Ashton Jeanty's nickname is the Silver Surfer, Mostert is an actual, factual surfer. A 10-year vet from whom the newbie can learn a thing…or 10.

"It's a great relationship," Jeanty said. "Obviously, Raheem, he's been in the league for a long time. He's done it at a high level, led the league in rushing touchdowns at some point. So, that's a guy I'm definitely listening to, taking notes from, whether it's on the field or off the field. I got a ton of respect for him."

He should.

Growing up on the central east coast of Florida, in the seaside town of New Smyrna Beach, Mostert first took to skateboards in the streets and surfboards on the waves before football took hold.

That's right, Mostert was getting down to the skater punk musical sounds of Limp Bizkit and Blink 182 and received his first "professional" contract offer, a proposed deal from Australian lifestyle retailer Billabong, almost a decade before he signed his first NFL contract. To ride skateboards and surfboards.

He was 14 years old.

He decided to pivot.

He chose football.

"I felt like that was my way out," Mostert said. "Going to college, doing the whole college process, get a degree, being the first in my family to graduate with a degree, yeah, that was my goal.

"And, ultimately, try to make it to the NFL."

Mostert may be in his 11th season in the league, but it's his first in Las Vegas, a desert where there is sand aplenty, but nary a wave upon which to ride and clear his mind.

So, yes, he went home to Florida over the bye week. And, like the rest of the team, attempted to analyze, dissect and correct what went wrong over the Raiders' 2-5 start - spoiler alert: a lot - and came back with a purpose to fix it going forward.

"Bye week, that's a reset mode, right?" he said. "You want to get your body and your mind reset."

The big emphasis upon returning?

"Hey, look, we've got a big stretch of games we need," he said.

And it starts Sunday at home against the Jaguars.

Now, it would be disingenuous to suggest Mostert was not frustrated with how his Raiders tenure began after signing as a free agent in March, five weeks and a day before the Raiders used the No. 6 overall draft pick on Jeanty.

You could say Mostert, 33, rode an emotional wave after being inactive for the Raiders' first three games.

"It was a little bit of a mind trick," he admitted. "Because initially, I thought the plan was for me to come in and, right off the bat, make a big impact, and a big jump. Obviously, I can't control being active, so I have to control what I can control and that's coming to work, putting on a good attitude, helping as much as I possibly can. Whether it be on the scout team, giving looks.

"How I look at it is, it will pay forward. ... If you do your time, obviously, you'll reap the benefits later on down the road. It was almost like a blessing and a curse, but I look at it more as the blessing side because I knew that once my time comes, watch out. ... I'm going to make an impact."

He did. Immediately. And in more ways than one.

Already one of the fastest running backs in the league - he once authored a 4.38-second 40 time - Mostert showed his speed on a 37-yard run against the Bears in his Raiders debut in Week 4. He rushed for 62 yards on four carries, caught an 11-yard pass and returned four kicks for 96 yards.

And there's no coincidence that his being active on gameday coincided with Jeanty's breakout.

"Bro, play free," Jeanty recalled Mostert telling him. "Have confidence in yourself so you can stay on the field. Make sure you take care of your body."

Mind you, Mostert is no one-trick guru-type pony.

Yes, he's averaging 27.4 yards per kickoff return, which ranks in the top half in the NFL. But since 2018, he has rushed for 3,835 yards while scoring 34 touchdowns on the ground and his 5.0 yards per carry average is the fifth-highest in the league over that time.

No wonder he thought he would have been more of a weapon early on for the Raiders.

For now, though, Mostert is happy to contribute and share with Jeanty the wisdom given him by his mentor, the diminutive Darren Sproles.

"It doesn't matter the size," the 5-foot-6, 190-pound Sproles told Mostert.

"It doesn't matter the intangibles. It doesn't matter how many years you're in as long as you have the mindset of a lion. Going out there and working, busting your tail every day, that's the most important thing. Showing your brothers and your guys in your room that you care."

Jeanty has been a quick study, especially with his reads. Yup, the Silver Surfer is learning from an almost-pro surfer how to ride the wave to open space while getting used to the speed of the NFL game.

"He wants to know so much," Mostert said. "The first couple weeks he really didn't understand it all that much."

Mostert's advice: "Hey look, just be patient, things will start clicking on all cylinders. We're all still brand new and fresh to this thing. Once we get our foot in the door, that's when it's go-time."

Just like the tranquility of (Jeff Spicoli voice) tasty waves and a cool buzz, no?

Kinda.

New Smyrna Beach, after all, is known as the "Shark Bite Capital of the World," Mostert says with a twinkle in his eye. Volusia County, where New Smyrna is, averaged nine bites the past five years.

"Can't avoid it," Mostert said, before adding he has yet to fall victim. He has, though, witnessed some friends getting "nibbled on" over the years.

Yes, "nibbled on."

Welp…

"They didn't lose a finger or anything like that," he said. "They just got a couple stitches in their foot or their calf."

A local surf shop, he said, sells ankle monitors that have high frequency sound waves to repulse sharks.

Imagine Mostert, then, patenting a similar device to ward off defenders so he can ride that wave into the end zone.

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) in the weight room during practice at Intermountain Health Performance Center.