Michael Crabtree to Sign With Oakland Raiders

After leaving Oakland without a contract last week, there was an assumption that free agent wideout Michael Crabtree would be going elsewhere after exiting a visit with the Raiders with no contract in place. Continuing a bizarre offseason for the former San Francisco 49ers receiver who was taking the waiting game to the extreme by going into mid-April without a contract, over an entire month of 2015 NFL Free Agency without deciding on a new home.

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Shocking most in NFL circles by making his decision on Monday night nearly one week after leaving his visit without a contract, Crabtree will actually be wearing Silver and Black in 2015 as details of the receiver’s signing trickled in to send shockwaves throughout Oakland.

ESPN’s Bill Williamson and Adam Caplan confirmed the news that Crabtree will be joining the Raiders, a move that finally gives the team a veteran acquisition at the position. Something that many felt Reggie McKenzie needed to address after the receiver group in Oakland struggled during the 2014 season.

From @caplannfl and myself, #Raiders expected to sign Michael Crabtree as soon as tonight.
— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonNFL) April 13, 2015

Crabtree is a talented veteran who has consistently averaged over 500 yards during his six NFL seasons, making plays on a Niners roster that spread the workload around and had a running philosophy, leaving little opportunity to post massive numbers for any of their wideouts. Because of that Crabtree has just one 1000 yard season, coming in 2012 when he helped guide San Francisco to an appearance in the Super Bowl in a year where he added nine touchdowns in helping put Colin Kaepernick on the map as a quarterback as the Niners most consistent receiving target.

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That 2012 season was followed by an injury plagued 2013 before the drama of 2014 soured Crabtree’s final year with the Niners. Now out of San Fran with a much lower stock than expected after once being one of the stars on a team that won the NFC Championship, Crabtree will head to Oakland with a fresh start. Crossing the Bay to a team where he will be arguably the most talented wideout on the roster and linking up with a quarterback that has the type of arm that will cater to his strengths after spending his career with short yardage, dual threat quarterbacks with the Niners.

Nobody knows if Crabtree will ever be a 1000 yard receiver again, but pairing with Derek Carr in the Raiders offense it appears that this will be a positive move from everyone involved. Bolstering the Oakland aerial attack, there should be excitement surrounding this late free agency signing, even if it comes late in the offseason process as the Raiders finally have the proven talent they needed all along at the receiver position after over a month of passing on other veteran talents. If Crabtree can reach his heights, or just maintain his status as a guaranteed 500+ yard wideout, the Raiders should be a better team on offense next season which is all that matters in the end for a team that is trying to get back into being a competitive franchise in the AFC West.

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