Michael Crabtree is the best player currently available in free agency, and he is drawing interest from at least a couple teams. But that doesn’t mean he’ll sign any time soon.
Crabtree is visiting the Raiders today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. That visit comes a day after a report surfaced that Crabtree turned down an offer of $3 million to sign with the Dolphins.
But while Crabtree has interest, he may not sign any time soon. As we’ve noted before, Crabtree is more than happy to wait to get the right offer, and if he doesn’t have the right offer, he won’t sign.
That’s what Crabtree did the last time he didn’t have a contract, when the 49ers took him with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. That year Crabtree had one of the most protracted rookie holdouts in NFL history, skipping training camp, the preseason and the first month of the regular season before finally signing with the 49ers on October 9. This year Crabtree may again decide not to go through all the unpaid offseason work, and sign with a team closer to the start of the regular season.
Crabtree has some strikes against him in free agency: He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2013, and although he was healthy enough to start all 16 games in 2014, he totaled just 68 catches for 698 yards, a career-low average of 10.3 yards a catch.
Some team may be willing to look past those strikes against him and give Crabtree the money he’s seeking. If not, it may be a while before Crabtree signs.