Wide receiver Michael Crabtree has signed with the Oakland Raiders, the player confirmed on Twitter. It's a one-year deal that will pay him $3 million, though there is an additional $2 million in incentives, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It's likely that those incentives were what swayed him to join the Raiders.
Michael Crabtree signs with Raiders
The wide receiver is looking for a more productive season in 2015.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Crabtree spent a lot of time on the open market and seemed to draw little interest early on in the free agency period. He’s coming off a disappointing season in which he caught 68 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns.
He played in all 16 games, but was still unhappy with the way the 49ers used him and ultimately fell short of recreating his 2012 campaign, in which he had 1,105 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. A 2009 first-round selection by the 49ers, Crabtree has been largely inconsistent throughout his career and will look to prove he can compete at a high level after rupturing his Achilles tendon in 2013.
The Raiders are in need of a playmaker on the outside, and Crabtree, though inconsistent at times, has proven he can be a sure-handed chain mover in the clutch. He’s registered at least one reception in all 79 games he’s played in, and at times shows flashes of the talent that made him a first-round pick.
Oakland is hoping that he’ll be able to regain that form after another year removed from a devastating injury. He became disengaged in San Francisco, and perhaps a fresh start in Oakland is just what he needs to rejuvenate his career in his age-28 season.
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