Las Vegas Raiders media day on Monday June 9, 2025 offered a great opportunity for fans to get to know Raiders players better, whether those players are longtime Raiders or new faces on the team.
One player that Raiders fans are eager to get to know is running back Raheem Mostert. Mostert will be a key figure on the Raiders offense this season, both for what he can contribute when he gets touches and the mentorship he can provide for rookie running back sensation Ashton Jeanty.
So when Raiders insider Amber Theoharis interviewed Mostert, Raiders fans paid extra attention. They ended up learning something pretty interesting about Mostert’s sports past.
Mostert Was Offered a Surfing Contract at Age 14
Growing up in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Mostert did a lot of surfing during the afternoons and weekends.
So much so that he got quite good at it, and surf wear company Billabong offered him a contract to surf professionally at the age of 14.
Mostert was honored to receive an opportunity to make some cash doing a sport he loved as well as travel the world surfing all the coolest spots, but he turned down the opportunity because he had a different dream.
“I wanted the educational side,” Mostert said. “I could have traveled the world and learned different cultures but coming from my background I wanted to be the first person to graduate [college] in my family.”
Mostert fulfilled that dream, graduating from Purdue University with a degree in organizational leadership & supervision (now called technology leadership & innovation). He also minored in Film & Video Studies and completed the Purdue certificate program in Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
He just so happened to be an elite football player at Purdue as well, building a reputation as one of the fastest football players on earth. His 40-yard dash time at the 2015 NFL combine was an elite 4.34 seconds.
And Mostert hasn’t forgotten his surfing roots — he still surfs in the offseason and even incorporates surfing into his touchdown celebrations after he speeds into the end zone.
@miamidolphins Ride the waveee! 🌊 Raheem swimming into the endzone for his first TD as a 🐬! #raheemmostert #celly #touchdown #surfing
Can Mostert Bounce Back For Las Vegas?
Of course, even more than what he gets up to off the field, Raiders fans are concerned about what Mostert can do for them on it.
Mostert was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2023 with the Miami Dolphins, when he rushed for 1,012 yards and led the entire NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns.
But Mostert struggled mightily in 2024 with Miami, rushing for only 278 yards and managing only two touchdowns.
Mostert was dealing with injuries to his chest, hip and sternum all season, which serves as an explanation for his down year.
Still, Mostert is 33 years old entering the 2025 season, securely on the older side for an NFL running back. If he loses a step or struggles with injury again, that could spell disaster for his Raiders tenure.
Raiders fans hope that Mostert is fully healthy in 2025 and that he and Jeanty can surprise NFL fans and become one of the best running back tandems in the NFL next season.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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