Michael Crabtree Signs with Oakland Raiders

Wide receiver Michael Crabtree hit free agency in March, and there were plenty of interested suitors. The Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens all had shown interest, along with Crabtree's old club, the San Francisco 49ers.

On April 13, Crabtree signed with the Raiders. 

Continue for updates.

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Raiders, Crabtree Agree to Deal

Monday, April 13

Late tonight Crabtree confirmed he will be playing for the Raiders: 

The Raiders would later announce the news:

The deal is for one-year and $3M, with an additional $2M in incentives, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

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Multiple Teams Interested in Crabtree

Monday, April 13

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reported that the Raiders, Dolphins and Ravens "have shown the most interest" in signing Crabtree.

On April 4, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported that the Dolphins were willing to pay Crabtree $3 million a year, but the wide receiver wanted a deal worth at least $4.5 million annually.

Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post, however, reported that "a team source is emphatically denying that the Dolphins ever made an offer to Crabtree or even discussed money with him."

On March 19, the Dolphins announced Crabtree had visited with the team.

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Cole: Crabtree's Market 'Crashed'

Tuesday, March 31

Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported that Crabtree's free-agent market has crashed and that the wideout is "playing poker" with teams:

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Crabtree Reportedly Willing to Wait on Deal

Tuesday, March 24

Maiocco reported on Crabtree's thought process as he evaluates the free-agent market:

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Free-agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree is willing to wait however long it takes to find an appealing situation for the 2015 season, sources told CSNBayArea.com.

The 49ers are interested in re-signing Crabtree, but the six-year veteran prefers to seek a contract with a team that places a greater emphasis on the passing game, according to a league source at the NFL owners meetings.

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On March 19, Albert Breer of NFL.com noted that concerns over leg injuries and worries about Crabtree's attitude were driving the lack of interest in the wideout. 

On March 17, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk claimed there is "little or no market" for Crabtree.  

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Chargers, Redskins Interested in Crabtree

Saturday, March 14

John Keim of ESPN reported that while the Redskins are interested in Crabtree, the San Diego Chargers are a more likely destination for the wide receiver to land.

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49ers Reportedly Interested in Re-Signing Crabtree

Thursday, March 5

Maiocco reported the 49ers are interested in Crabtree returning to San Francisco. Maiocco added:

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It remains to be seen how much interest Crabtree will receive on the open market when he is allowed to begin negotiating with other teams on March 7.

One AFC executive at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis two weeks ago told CSNBayArea.com that his team has Crabtree rated in the $4 million-to-$5 million annual range. He admitted that other teams might have Crabtree valued higher.

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On Feb. 22, Cole spoke about the 49ers' plans to possibly replace Crabtree in the draft:

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Baalke, Crabtree's Agent Planning to Meet

Wednesday, Feb. 18

49ers general manager Trent Baalke is expected to meet with Crabtree's agent this week, The Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows reported on Wednesday.

Barrows previously claimed on Feb. 11 that "it seems unlikely" Crabtree will return to San Francisco.

"Crabtree clearly was frustrated with his role at the end of season, and he recently removed any mention of the 49ers from his Twitter bio," Barrows wrote. "That was interpreted by some as a signal that he'll move on."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article9733127.html#storylink=cpy

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49ers Will Try to Retain Crabtree, Won't Enter Bidding War

Friday, Feb. 6

Maiocco spoke about Crabtree's uncertain future with the 49ers:

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The 49ers will make a play to retain him. That’s not in question. But Crabtree certainly seems destined to hit the open market in March to gauge his options in free agency.

The 49ers do not figure to engage in a bidding war -- they never do. Will they go above what they’ve earmarked for Boldin? That’s doubtful. But will any team view Crabtree as a $6-million-plus wide receiver? That's another question.

Either way, it would not surprise anybody if Crabtree believes he is ready for a fresh start with an organization that makes it known that they want to throw the football.

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Niners Nation's David Fucillo noted Crabtree unceremoniously removed his "Now a 49er!" description in his Twitter bio.

Crabtree, 27, spent his first six NFL seasons in San Francisco. Healthy after a miserable 2013 campaign, many expected Crabtree to break out this past season. Instead, he became Colin Kaepernick's clear No. 2 target behind the aging Anquan Boldin. Crabtree will now enter free agency with a host of questions about his ceiling.

Crabtree finished 2014 with 68 receptions for 698 yards, setting a career low at 10.3 yards per reception. His regression was among the factors that pushed the 49ers to regress into the 21st-ranked passing offense, per Football Outsiders' DVOA metric. San Francisco finished a disappointing 8-8, leading to the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

"I don't even know where I'm going, so I can’t talk about that," Crabtree told Taylor Price of the team's website when asked about Harbaugh's departure. "I know you want me to."

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

Teams interested in Crabtree will have to decide how much of his drop-off in production was skill-related and how much was schematic. In 2012, Crabtree's last healthy campaign before 2014, he seemingly became the top target the 49ers hoped for when selecting him in 2009. He led the team with 85 receptions and 1,105 yards, becoming a favorite of Kaepernick on the team's Super Bowl run.

Crabtree tore his Achilles the following offseason, which put those plans. Crabtree was limited to eight (including postseason) relatively ineffective games in 2013 and came back looking like a shell of himself.

Never a downfield burner, Crabtree's yards gained per route run was among the NFL's worst in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. He also had one of the league's bottom four drop rates and was ranked 63rd among receivers in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric.

It's very possible that Crabtree looks for a short-term deal to recoup his value and hit the market again next season, regardless of location. The 49ers' desire to keep him is also a question mark, with Boldin coming back, Stevie Johnson in the fold and their need for a downfield playmaker.

At the very least, Crabtree is an interesting name who could be had on the cheap by a contender.

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