Michael Crabtree is ending his holdout today thus ending one of the dumbest contract disputed holdouts in recent memory and will report to the San Francisco 49ers’ training facility later today. Crabtree the 22 year old rookie wide receiver out of Texas Tech and the 10th overall pick by the Niners’ turned down a reportedly 5 year 20 million dollar offer which 16 million was guaranteed.
Crabtree’s thought process along with agent Eugene Parker was this, he should be compensated for his fall in the draft and receive the kind of money he would have received if he were picked higher. The Niners’ said no and Crabtree held out, also threatening to sit the entire season and enter next year’s draft.
Crabtree was a stud at Tech catching 97 passes last year for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns, but was hurt with a foot injury and sat out all of Niners’ offseason minicamps. He signed a 6 year deal that can be voided to a 5 year deal based on his performances.
My thought on this is, “Does he make a deal like this if the 49ers’ started the season at 0 – 4 or 1 – 3?” I don’t think so. Because of a 3 – 1 start, Crabtree was desperate and the Niners’ weren’t. So ends this silly saga of an almost blown opportunity. It will be interesting if he can adjust to Mike Singletary’s no-nonsense approach.
Now since Crabtree has come to his senses, when will the NFL come to theirs and adopt a mandatory pay structure for its draftees like the NBA?
