Oakland Raiders: Signing Michael Crabtree Is A Terrible Idea

It was the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and the Oakland Raiders were looking for a wide receiver to complement quarterback JaMarcus Russell and running back Darren McFadden.

The speculation leading up to the draft was that they would select Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The former Red Raider (what a coincidence) had an excellent college career and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award given to the most outstanding receiver in college football in 2007 and 2008 making him the first ever two time winner.

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Everything seemed lined up for the Raiders to select Crabtree. He won an award named after one of the greatest Raider receivers and even played for a team named the Raiders in college. He was also the top rated receiver prospect but he did not appear to be very enthused about the prospect of donning the Silver and Black. Recapped by Anthony Carroll of RealFootball365.com, he was asked in a harmless NFL.com chat if he wanted to play for Oakland and he said “no comment”.

No generic answer about how great the Raiders history is, no posturing about hoping to be chosen at all. Just a simple “no comment” and that appeared to have sealed his fate. The Raiders instead chose Darrius Heyward-Bey out of the University of Maryland and we all know how that worked out. Crabtree was selected by the San Francisco 49ers and continued to show his diva tendencies by holding out until October because he thought he deserved more money.

Crabtree struggled to stay healthy and failed to make much of an impact in a 49ers uniform. His career there has been solid but unspectacular and he topped 900 yards just once in his six-year career. Until Anquan Boldin arrived he was the best receiver on the club but considering his competition that is not much of an accomplishment.

He never lived up to the lofty expectations coming out of Texas Tech and it is safe to say that he was not deserving of being the 10th pick, much less the seventh overall selection where many believed Oakland would select him. Crabtree has never established himself as a number one receiver and has never showed any signs of maturity or leadership. The Raiders are stocked to the brim with number two and three receivers in James Jones, Rod Streater and Andre Holmes but they have no clear number one.

Sep 30, 2014; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie at a press conference to introduce Tony Sparano (not pictured) as Raiders interim coach at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

At this point in his career, it appears that Crabtree is a possession receiver with a bad attitude and the Raiders are not looking for that type of player. General manager Reggie McKenzie and owner Marc Davis have emphasized that they are looking for men of character to play for the team and try to change the Raiders’ renegade image. They want to transform the Raiders from the NFL’s outlaws to a team that is respected just as much as it is feared or mocked.

Crabtree does not fit that description. Granted, he has never gotten in trouble off the field but that is only part of the equation. He has often demonstrated a me-first attitude which he displayed after the 49ers’ win against the New Orleans Saints last season.

After catching what was essentially the game winning pass, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, Crabtree said “I’m a third-down receiver. I mean, I’m like the third option. So I come in and do my job.” There was no expression of happiness that his team won a tough road game, just disappointment with his role in the offense. This is not the type of player that the Oakland Raiders need on their team.

Davis may be trying to exorcise the demons of the end of his father’s reign and correct his mistakes but it appears that passing up on Michael Crabtree was not one of them. He is simply not worth the money he wants, $4.5 million per year according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter), and is not worth the headache he could present to young quarterback Derek Carr. There will be other veteran receivers available after the June 1st cut day and the Raiders would be better suited signing another free agent and pursuing receiver talent in the draft.

Next: Oakland Raiders Sticking With Youth At Cornerback

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