Crabtree visiting the Dolphins

[Vetamur]

PFT is linking to stories claiming the dolphins offered him 3 million a year but he wants 4.5
Other articles ive seen push his initial FA target number at 9+. I didn't think he would be breaking any banks but kinda surprised at the low demand.

Im afraid he'll have to settle for a mediocre salary (by NFL standards. I would switch with him however!)

 

[Cyrus12]

mediocre...probably going to head somewhere like the raiders or browns...Crabtree has never impressed me especially since he played with Boldin and Davis when Davis used to be good.

 

[brimsalabim]

Sherm said his feud with Crabtree goes back to an altercation between the two at one of Larry Fitzgerald's party's.

 

[CPHawk]

We can find a WR just as good, or better than Crabs for way less in the draft.

 

[BlueTalon]

Way not interested.

 

[KitsapGuy]

It appears the Oakland Raiders and Michael Crabtree -- both needy in their own right -- are considering a pairing. Yahoo! Sports reported that the free-agent wide receiver from San Francisco will visit the Raiders next week.

What took so long?

Wide receiver is arguably the Raiders' biggest need. They have failed to add a receiver in free agency, even though they were targeting the likes of Randall Cobb and Jeremy Maclin early in the process. Crabtree's market has been nearly nonexistent. He has had a couple of bites, but nothing substantial.


It wouldn't be a perfect marriage, but at this point in free agency, nothing is perfect. But needs would be filled. Crabtree is good enough to be in the Raiders' top rotation and perhaps be a starter, which he was throughout his 49ers career. Any deal with Crabtree would be short-term and likely team-friendly. Crabtree has been reportedly waiting for the best deal.

The Raiders have about $24 million in salary-cap room and can do what they want. But I would doubt they'd overspend too much for Crabtree when they wouldn't have to.

If Crabtree does sign with Oakland, he'd be probably be their best receiver (at least until the draft). Crabtree had a down season in 2014, his first full season since suffering an Achilles injury in May 2013. He had 68 catches for 698 yards. He had no explosion.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/ ... each-other

 

[Popeyejones]

Sherm said his feud with Crabtree goes back to an altercation between the two at one of Larry Fitzgerald's party's.

True, although I think that was partially just damage control on Sherman's part. One has to be a die hard WWE fan to think that Sherman was really mad. He was smirking. He was laughing before and after each post-game interview before being "angry" again. He was marketing himself, which hey, no biggie.

It was just the moment that Sherman got a little bit too close to the sun and the media started to turn on him. That story -- told to the media by his brother and later refuted by a third party -- was pretty clearly part of his defense and attempt to wrestle the narrative back (with the MMQB piece, etc.).

There's no way I can confirm the following , but I always suspected that it was the reaction from several other black athletes on Twitter that pulled Sherman "back" a little bit. The critique was basically a mix of leveraging respectability politics* and accusing him of Tom-ing**.

Also worth saying, just to be totally clear, that I like Sherman, both as an athlete and a spokesman for causes when he gets involved.

*From everything we know about Sherman, I DON'T think he'd take this seriously or do an soul searching about the accusation (see: public statements about the NFL's language ban, just what he says more generally).

**From everything we know about Sherman, I DO think he'd he'd take this seriously and maybe do some soul searching about the accusation (see: public statements about the NFL's language ban, just what he says more generally).

 

[TAB420]

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/ameri ... -crabtree/

 

[Bigbadhawk]

For what its worth it sounds like he may sign with the Raiders tonight.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/13/report-michael-crabtree-likely-to-sign-with-raiders/

 

[Cyrus12]

ESPN reporting its a done deal...He heads where careers go to die...if only he made that catch a couple years back in the nfc champ game...he will fit in with the mediocrity in Oakland.

 

[rlkats]

Not to upset he is gone. I have never been impressed with him. He has had only 1 good season. Ever since the injury he has had no explosion. Not that he had much to begin with.

 

[uncle fester]

The Raiders are due some luck, and seem to be *at the least* trying to find Carr some targets. I doubt Crabtree will be the answer to his prayers, but it's at least a minor trade up from some of the ones he had last year.

 

[Popeyejones]

I think Crabtree is still a good third down receiver and safety valve, but that's about it. He's a really good fit for the Raiders and a developing QB like Carr.

If they pair Crabtree with White/Cooper like everyone is expecting them to do, they'll be in a good place.

That said, while it's a good fit for the Raiders, it's a horrible fit for Crabtree. Per usual, he's an idiot. Rather than taking a 1 year 3 million dollar prove it deals from the Ravens or Dolphins (much better fits for a prove it deal, IMO), he opted for the extra 2 million in incentives the Raiders were dangling on a 1 year 3 million dollar prove deal.

He's a fool; the point of prove it deals is to get in a situation in which you're, well, proving it in order to get that next contract. Picking between prove it deals based on marginal salary increase is just idiotic.

9ers fans are breathing a sigh of relief though, if only because this will cancel out the Shareece Wright signing, meaning the 9ers are back to four comp picks next year.

(off topic: so many teams are hustling the comp pick system at this point the whole reason for its existence has been degraded past any point of return, IMO. I like that my team benefits from it every year, but they should do away with it).

 

[Marvin49]

Don't want to undersell it because I kinda wanted him to come back, but he hasn't been the same guy since the injury.

In 2012 it looked like he really had a breakthrough year and he was about to really become the player Niner fans hoped he would be. His production DOUBLED with Kap at QB.

...but ever since he tore his Achilles, he just hasn't been the same guy. No explosion. No RAC.

I still think he's better than "mediocre", but he was never going to get the contract he was looking for. Given the contract he signed and the Niners continuing need at WR, I think it says something about both the player and the team that he wasn't resigned. I think both parties were kinda done with each other.

 

[Marvin49]

Don't want to undersell it because I kinda wanted him to come back, but he hasn't been the same guy since the injury.

In 2012 it looked like he really had a breakthrough year and he was about to really become the player Niner fans hoped he would be. His production DOUBLED with Kap at QB.

...but ever since he tore his Achilles, he just hasn't been the same guy. No explosion. No RAC.

I still think he's better than "mediocre", but he was never going to get the contract he was looking for. Given the contract he signed and the Niners continuing need at WR, I think it says something about both the player and the team that he wasn't resigned. I think both parties were kinda done with each other.

Wasn't it rumored that he was leaking information about the state of the locker room? The last handful of post game interviews I saw with him were painful to watch, guy just seemed like he had given up.

Well, it was Deion Sanders who spoke publically about players saying they weren't happy with Harbaugh and Crab is close to Deion.

Deion came out and said his source was NOT Crab, but who knows.

I can say that Crab was never really loved in the locker room...or at least that's how it appears. He had friends (Kap for one), but there was always a sense ever since his rookie holdout that he was never completely invested in SF. I remember Vernon got into a fight with him over Crabs dedication back when Sing was still the coach. As Sing said "Vernon did the wrong thing for the right reason".

I don't really buy that he was NEVER invested though. I think he's just not all that great speaking his mind. I think he got fed up with not being a primary target and then when Boldin came in it got that much worse. In his mind, he's still that great player from Texas Tech and he thinks the Niners O is holding him back. Can't even say he's completely wrong in that regard.

Bottom line though, I think he was done with the team and the team was done with him. They dropped the contract he was looking for on Torrey Smith and he settled for 3 mil on a one year deal. Pretty clear the team was ready to move on.

 

[titan3131]

not to mention just having crabtree on the opposite field of sherman 2 times a year gives him fuel to embarrass you even more then he already does.