Despite a rumor that emerged briefly on Monday that a deal had been done, there has been no progress between the 49ers and receiver Michael Crabtree, the tenth overall pick in the 2009 draft.
Per a league source, the 49ers presently do not intend to respond to the formal offer they have received from agent Eugene Parker.
Coach Mike Singletary briefly addressed the situation on Monday. “I’m really not thinking about it,” Singletary said. “When he comes in, we’ll be excited to get him. But until that time I am just going to focus on the guys who are here.”
Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was a bit more talkative on the topic. “I don’t know anymore about Michael Crabtree now then I did when we drafted him, other than what we evaluated him on college,” Raye said. “I think you all are probably a little more concerned about him not being here than we are. . . . I anticipate that when he gets here he will be behind the learning curve, obviously, because he had no spring and no OTA practices, or no offseason practices.”
It widely is believed that Parker hopes to finagle for Crabtree a contract that significantly exceeds the value of the package that he otherwise would receive as the tenth overall pick in the draft.
The impasse likely has influenced negotiations between players picked in the same vicinity as Crabtree; from selections six through twelve, only one player -- Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey -- has been signed.