Michael Crabtree - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Parker, Osemele, Bengals, Bills

December 13th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Continuing a trend that the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero’s observed throughout this decade, a disconnect between the Dolphins‘ front office and coaching staff’s formed based on the usage of the team’s draft picks.

This season, Miami’s front office wanted first-round pick DeVante Parker to play more often than he did prior to becoming a regular down the stretch, Salguero reports.

Previous philosophical differences involved 2013 first-rounder Dion Jordan and 2013 fourth-round selection Dion Sims, whom then-GM Jeff Ireland wanted Joe Philbin to play more than he was, with a similar disconnect occurring two years prior in the form of Tony Sparano and Ireland disagreeing on which players the team would cut prior to the start of the 2011 season.

Such disharmony has been new to the Dolphins, with previous coaches Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson or Nick Saban having full decision-making autonomy. Salguero adds that new personnel man Mike Tannenbaum did not escalate this push for Parker to see the field sooner as Ireland did with Sparano and Philbin regarding former prospects.

Let’s look at some more AFC items as Week 14 shifts into its night-game sector.

Kelechi Osemele ventured back to tackle Sunday in place of the underwhelming James Hurst and wants to stay there, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports. Osemele, who began his career at the Ravens‘ right tackle before becoming one of the NFL’s premier left guards over the past two-plus seasons, moved to left tackle in a Ravens effort to increase their line’s overall talent level. This is significant because the former second-round pick will be one of the top offensive linemen available in free agency if he does not reach an accord with the Ravens before the new league year begins. The former Iowa State cog started 38 games at left tackle for the Cyclones. Osemele expressed desire to be Baltimore’s left tackle of the future. “I sure hope so,” Osemele told media about a desire to stay on the edge. “I would definitely love to be the guy for the Ravens into the future, as long as I can keep performing at a high level.” Baltimore placed high-priced, but injury-prone left tackle Eugene Monroe on IR on Saturday. Signed to a five-year, $37.5MM contract in 2014, Monroe has $6.6MM worth of dead money left on his deal.
If Andy Dalton misses the rest of the season as he’s expected to, it will cost him a chance at a $5MM escalator in his contract, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (on Twitter). The Bengals‘ starting quarterback needs to play at least 80% of the snaps, which he’s done for four straight seasons, to earn this bonus.
Conversely, Michael Crabtree‘s enjoying a better week financially. The Raiders‘ newly extended wideout earned an additional $400K by catching four passes Sunday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter), giving him 70 for the season.
An unpenalized threat resided at the root of the Bengals-Steelers pregame fight, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. After Vontaze Burfict‘s tackle of Le’Veon Bell resulted in the star Pittsburgh runner’s season-ending knee injury in the teams’ previous meeting, Steelers linebacker Vince Williams sent out a tweet that Burfict and other Bengals regarded as a death threat, Florio writes. Burfict confronted Williams, who previously deleted the tweet and apologized, before the game and took action because the NFL didn’t, Andrew Whitworth told PFT. Florio writes that Williams’ social media threat violates the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
The 15 penalties whistled against the Bills in their loss to the Eagles riled up the coaching staff to the point that one of them can be heard screaming at the officials while walking to the locker room that the 15 infractions — for 101 yards — were a “disgrace to the NFL,” Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk points out Bills first-year defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman as the likely culprit.

AFC West Notes: Crabtree, Penn, Stewart, Iger

December 11th, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

After betting on himself during the 2015 offseason, signing a modest one-year deal in the hopes of having a big season and increasing his value, Raiders wideout Michael Crabtree is happy to have a new extension in place, which will keep him from worrying about dealing with the free agent market again this winter.

“It’s always nice to get it done, right?” Crabtree said on Thursday, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “That way we can just go play football. You ain’t worried about where you’re going to be next year and all that stuff. It’s pretty neat to know you’re wanted and you want to be on a team and you’re here.”

Here’s more on Crabtree’s new contract, along with some other items out of the AFC West:

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has a few more specific details on Crabtree’s four-year deal with the Raiders, tweeting that it can be worth up to $35.2MM, with a base value of $34MM. The pact doesn’t include a signing bonus, but Crabtree will make $11MM in 2016 and a total of $18MM by 2017. That $18MM is guaranteed for injury, according to Bair.
As Bair details at CSNBayArea.com, veteran defensive back Charles Woodson believes Crabtree’s new contract – and his decision to stay with Oakland – is a sign that this isn’t the same old Raiders. “That’s great, because you hear that people don’t want to come to Oakland, that they don’t want to play here,” Woodson said. “Things are starting to change. With Crabtree signing his deal, other free agents will take notice once that time comes around. They’ll want to know why he wanted to stick around and play in Oakland. He’ll be a great ambassador for guys who are undecided.”
Could left tackle Donald Penn be the next Raiders player to sign an extension? He’s not focusing on a deal right now, but says he’d like to spend the rest of his career in Oakland, as Bill Williamson of ESPN.com writes.
Safety Darian Stewart doesn’t have Pro Bowl nods on his resume, like many of his fellow defensive backs in Denver, but the Broncos coaching staff has referred to him as the quarterback of the secondary, and his contract is looking like one of the bargains of the 2015 free agent period. Arnie Stapleton of The Associated Press has the story.
Earlier today, we rounded up several quotes from Disney CEO Bob Iger on the Carson stadium proposal put forth by the Chargers and Raiders. Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register has a few more comments from Iger, who says a Carson stadium would be well-positioned to attract football fans from Orange County.

Raiders Extend Michael Crabtree

December 9th, 2015 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders have signed Michael Crabtree to extension that will keep the receiver in Oakland through the 2019 season, the club announced. Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link) was the first to break news of the deal, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) had the specifics: four years, $35MM, with nearly $19MM guaranteed.

The $8.75MM average annual value would rank 13th among receivers, while that $19MM in guarantees would place 10th, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes (Twitter link). Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if that’s a full guarantee, and whether the reported total value contains any inflating incentives.

The 28-year-old Crabtree has been a revelation for Oakland since joining the club on a one-year deal this offeason, posting 760 yards on 66 receptions to go along with seven touchdowns. He’s actually out-targeted first-round rookie Amari Cooper (115-105), and he’s helped the Raiders offense make the leap from 30th in offensive DVOA in 2014 to ninth this season, per Football Outsiders. On a personal level, Crabtree is in the midst of his best season to date, as he’s on pace to set career bests for both receptions and touchdowns.

Signing a one-year pillow contract, as he did last offseason, would have seemed implausible for Crabtree just a few seasons ago, as the former first-round pick started his career with four solid years with the 49ers. But a lost 2013 season, and a 2014 which saw him fail to surpass 700 yards receiving, forced his market to plummet, a fall only ended by his one-year, $3.2MM agreement with Oakland. For what’s it worth, Crabtree will likely reach his lowest level of incentive-based pay this week, and has an outside chance to reach his maximum incentive level of $1.4MM.

According to Caplan (Twitter links), the Raiders had been having internal discussions about extending Crabtree for some time, noting that team officials were impressed with the veteran receiver’s attitude and leadership abilities from the get-go. Crabtree’s teammates also seemed to enjoy his presence, as quarterback Derek Carr indicated in November that he’d love to see Crabtree extended.

Oakland has now locked up one its most important offensive pieces, and the club now has a solid core — Carr, Cooper, running back Latavius Murray, and tight end Clive Walford — around which to build, along with an offensive line that’s played much better than expected. A key piece of that offensive line — left tackle Donald Penn — is (like Crabtree was) a pending free agent, so perhaps he’ll be the next item on the docket as general manager Reggie McKenzie continues his rebuild in the Bay Area. The Raiders can certainly afford to spend, as Over the Cap lists the club as No. 1 in 2016 cap space, with more than $72MM available (not counting the Crabtree extension, obviously).

For Crabtree’s part, he could be passing up a nice sum of money on the open market, as he wouldn’t have faced much in the way of positional competition next spring. Bears pass-catcher Alshon Jeffery is only pass-catcher who surely would have secured a larger contract, and Jeffery is a candidate for the franchise tag. For as good a season as he’s having, Crabtree still wouldn’t have been worth a franchise tag, meaning he could have entered the open market unfettered, and with Jeffery out of the way, as potentially the top receiver option available.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Rams, Pettine, Flacco, Raiders, Draft

December 8th, 2015 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the NFL as Tuesday wraps up:

Free agent cornerback Cary Williams, whom Seattle released Monday, is drawing interest from several teams around the league, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter). One of those teams is the Rams, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Browns officially named Johnny Manziel their starting quarterback today, but it doesn’t sound as if head coach Mike Pettine is 100% committed to the decision. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suggests that the move back to Manziel from Austin Davis was motivated in part by Pettine trying to save his job.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had surgery Tuesday to repair his torn ACL. The procedure went well, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). He’s expected to make a full recovery and should be back in six to nine months, adds CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
The Raiders extended the contract of fullback Jamize Olawale on Tuesday, and ESPN’s Bill Williamson points to offensive tackle Donald Penn and receiver Michael Crabtree as players the club could look to lock up next (Twitter link). Penn has started 28 straight games since joining the Raiders in 2014, while Crabtree leads the team in receptions (66), targets (115) and touchdowns (seven) this year. Both are scheduled to hit free agency during the upcoming offseason.
Clemson safety Jayron Kearse and Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee are leaning toward entering the 2016 draft, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links: 1; 2). If they do, Michigan tight end Jake Butt won’t be joining them. He announced that he’ll return to school for his senior season (Twitter link via Getlin).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

West Notes: Davis, Broncos, Crabtree

November 4th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Years back, the NFL moved the trade deadline up from Week Six to Week Eight. However, the day of the deadline typically isn’t a hotbed of activity and we didn’t see any trades take place on Tuesday. While some would argue that the deadline should be pushed back even further, Mike Florio of PFT argues that the deadline should be abolished altogether to encourage as much activity as possible.

Of course, on the day prior to the deadline, we saw an AFC West team and an NFC West team link up for a pretty significant deal. Here’s more out of the West divisions..

The Broncos believe that Vernon Davis will give them a serious threat in the passing game, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report in one of his latest videos. However, some around football wonder if the tight end will be able to learn the new playbook quickly enough. That’s something that Davis struggled with in San Francisco.
Count quarterback Derek Carr among those who would like to see the Raiders lock up wide receiver Michael Crabtree. “I would love for Crab to be here for a long time,” Carr said, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Crabtree has been targeted 65 times already in 2015, turning those looks into 40 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns. And, while Carr isn’t the man responsible for signing Crabtree’s checks, the young quarterback’s endorsement probably carries a lot of weigh with the front office.
49ers safety/special teamer L.J. McCray had a meniscus tear fixed on Tuesday, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets. McCray could come back later this season but a trip to the IR is still possible.

NFC Notes: 49ers, RGIII, Chancellor

September 12th, 2015 at 6:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Wide receiver Michael Crabtree spent the first six years of his career with the 49ers after they drafted him 10th overall in 2009. His time in San Francisco was somewhat underwhelming, given his production at Texas Tech and draft status, as he eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau just once and never racked up double-digit touchdowns in a season. Crabtree stayed in the Bay Area and signed with Oakland during the offseason, but he told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that the 49ers wanted him back. The feeling wasn’t mutual.

“A lot of people don’t know that the Niners offered me a contract, I just didn’t take it,” the 27-year-old said. “I wanted a fresh start. It was more money too — the Niners offered me more money than anybody did — but business is business and I wanted to come to a team that really wanted and needed me.”

Crabtree then took a shot at 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, saying, “I needed a quarterback that can deliver the ball, and that was hungry like I was.”

Contract Details: Crabtree, Ridley, Casey

April 15th, 2015 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

The details for a few of the more notable recent free agent signings are in, so let’s take a look at some specifics, starting with the newest wide receiver in Oakland….

Michael Crabtree, WR (Raiders): One year, $3.2MM base value. $1.4MM base salary. $1.3Mm signing bonus. $250K workout bonus. $250K in per-game roster bonuses. $1.8MM in not-likely-to-be-earned incentives — $400K for Pro Bowl and $1.4MM based on catches or receiving yards. Lowest incentive threshold is $400K for 70 catches or 900 yards. Can max out at $1.4MM by exceeding 100 catches or 1,400 yards (three Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
Stevan Ridley, RB (Jets): One year, $1.25MM base value. $750K base salary. $80K signing bonus. $50K workout bonus. $20K first-game roster bonus. $350K in per-game roster bonuses. Has injury waiver, which voids if he’s on 53-man roster in Week 1 (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
James Casey, TE (Broncos): One year, $1.25MM base value. $750K base salary. $500K roster bonus. Has injury waiver, split salary (Twitter link via Wilson).
Joe Mays, LB (Jets): One year, minimum salary benefit. $870K base salary. $20K first-game roster bonus. $60K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
John Kuhn, FB (Packers): One year, minimum salary benefit. $870K base salary. $25K workout bonus. $25K Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link via Wilson).
Zackary Bowman, CB (Dolphins): One year, minimum salary benefit. $745K base salary. $80K signing bonus. Has injury waiver (Twitter link via Wilson).

Michael Crabtree Signs With Raiders

April 13th, 2015 at 11:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

11:07pm: The Raiders made Crabtree’s accord official late Monday night, via Twitter.

10:42pm: Crabtree’s deal is for one year and worth $3MM, with another $2MM available via incentives, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter. Excluding the potential incentives, this contract represents Crabtree’s lowest base salary since his second season.

7:20pm: Michael Crabtree‘s time in the Bay Area will continue after the wideout reportedly reached an agreement with the Raiders, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Fallon Smith (via Twitter).

ESPN’s Adam Caplan also noted the deal was imminent.

Three wideout-needy teams — the Raiders, Ravens and Dolphins — made a late pursuit for the seventh-year receiver who enjoyed an inconsistent tenure with the 49ers, but the Raiders won out for the 27-year-old’s services. This marks a strange circle for these two parties, with the Raiders opting to take the faster but lower-regarded Darrius Heyward-Bey in the 2009 draft over Crabtree, who was viewed as that class’ top receiver at the time.

Crabtree’s asking price reportedly came way down from a $9MM-per-year request. The Raiders carry just more than $22MM worth of cap space after the Packers matched Sean Richardson‘s offer sheet earlier today.

Assuming he’s healthy, Crabtree will shoot to the top of a Raiders receiving corps that also houses James Jones and Andre Holmes. Crabtree caught 68 passes for 698 yards last season as he drifted down Colin Kaepernick‘s receiving hierarchy. But he’s shown the capability of being a go-to receiver as recently as 2012, when he piled up 1,105 receiving yards and scored a career-high nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-2 former top-10 pick in 2009 tore his Achilles the following spring, limiting him to five regular-season games in 2013.

Caplan adds this signing shouldn’t deter the Raiders from also bolstering the position early in the draft (Twitter link). They’ve been linked to Amari Cooper and Kevin White at No. 4 overall in the major mock drafts.

Marking the latest longtime 49er to depart after Frank Gore and Patrick Willis, Crabtree’s signing will count as a loss in the compensatory formula for 2016 draft choices. The 49ers lost two of their top four receivers from 2014, with Steve Johnson also not returning, but will deploy the former Ravens’ starting wideouts in Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith this season.

Raiders, Dolphins, Ravens Eyeing Crabtree

April 13th, 2015 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

6:54pm: The Raiders have emerged as the frontrunners to land Crabtree, report ESPN’s Adam Caplan and Bill Williamson, via Twitter. The pair expect an agreement as soon as tonight.

1:59pm: More than a month into 2015’s NFL free agent period, former Niners receiver Michael Crabtree is arguably the biggest name still on the board. While it doesn’t appear Crabtree is on the verge of a deal, he’s drawing the most interest from three teams, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who identifies the Raiders, Dolphins, and Ravens as the wideout’s top suitors.

None of those three clubs is a surprise contestant in the Crabtree sweepstakes. The former first-round pick has already paid a visit to two of those three suitors, having traveled to Oakland and Miami. As for Baltimore, our Rory Parks detailed yesterday how the Ravens are very much in the market for receiving help, so it makes sense that the team would be considering the top free agent at the position.

In 2014, Crabtree appeared in all 16 games for the 49ers, hauling in 68 catches for 698 yards and four scores. While San Francisco was undoubtedly delighted to see Crabtree play a full season after missing the bulk of 2013, those numbers didn’t match his best production in 2012, when he had 85 grabs for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. I’d bet that the 27-year-old is seeking a deal that pays him for something closer to that 2012 production than his modest 2014 numbers, though perhaps his asking price has come down over the last few weeks.

According to Maiocco, the Niners have kept the door open for a possible return for Crabtree, but he appears set on getting a fresh start somewhere else.

AFC Links: Ravens, Welker, Raiders, Patriots

April 8th, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Eric DeCosta is one of the hottest up-and-coming general manager candidates in the league. The Ravens assistant GM was asked to interview with the Jets and Bears this offseason, but the 43-year-old declined, just as he had previously with the Seahawks and Raiders. Why refuse an opportunity to become a general manager just to remain an assistant? DeCosta answered that question earlier today (via Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun):

“I get a chance to work with my friends. Every day, I come in and work with my friends. I think it’s a relationship business. In the end, personal ambitions aside, all you have is really your reputation and your friends and your enjoyment in life. And I love Baltimore, the community.

“My wife is from Baltimore. I’ve been here 20 years, my kids go to school here. It’s great. I sit with these guys every day and give everybody a hard time, get a chance to play jokes on everybody every day, and it’s just fun. I enjoy work. I enjoy coming in here. We have a great owner, awesome stadium and best fan base in the country. So, what more do you want?”

There may be another reason for DeCosta to stay put, as Wilson says the executive is “[d]esignated contractually as the Ravens’ general-manager-in-waiting behind Ozzie Newsome.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the AFC…

Wes Welker‘s visit with the Dolphins ended without a deal, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 33-year-old spent three seasons in Miami prior to his tenure with the Patriots. He finished last season with 49 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns, the lowest totals since his rookie campaign.
While it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur confirms (via Twitter) that Michael Crabtree wrapped up his visit with the Raiders without a contract. The former first-round pick met with the organization on Monday.
Stevan Ridley spurned the Dolphins and Washington to sign with the Jets earlier this evening. As the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe notes on Twitter, the Patriots didn’t make “a significant enough push” to retain their free agent running back.