After Months of Nonsense, Time for Crabtree to Prove He's Worth It

On October 7 Michael Crabtree finally agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers after a very long holdout. The 49ers have a bye week this week and will then face the Houston Texans. After Crabtree's stubborn negotiations, the game against Houston will be his first chance to prove that he can make an impact on this team and is worth his six-year $32 million contract. While expectations for many rookies are usually low, many expect an immediate impact from Crabtree after his ridiculous holdout.


Heading into the 2009 NFL Draft, the clear top two receivers were Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin from Missouri. When it came time for the number seven Oakland Raiders to make their pick, they shocked fans and NFL analysts by picking Maryland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. Crabtree was later selected 10th overall by San Francisco. Rather than be thankful he avoided Oakland and crazy owner Al Davis, Crabtree seemed to take exception and demanded more money from the 49ers. Many sources close to Crabtree stated that he was willing to sit out the entire 2009 season if the 49ers did not offer him more. Deion Sanders, Crabtree's counselor, told the press he was not in dire need of money and would re-enter the draft next season if need be. Crabtree became the longest hold out in franchise history until October 7 when both parties finally reached an agreement.

The stupidity and selfishness of this situation completely astounds me and highlights a disturbing trend among NFL rookies. Despite never playing a single down in the NFL, Crabtree felt he was worth more than the millions the 49ers offered him and held out reportedly for "seventh pick money" a blatant knock against Heyward-Bey. What Crabtree will make in a single season is enough for most people to live off of their entire lives and yet Crabtree felt the need to hold out for more. The simple fact of the matter is that until you play in the NFL, there is no guarantee that you will have any success. For players to come out of college and demand obscene amounts of money is just unbelievable. What was even more shocking was the fact that Crabtree was willing to sit out this season and re-enter the draft. Some may say he was bluffing to try and force the 49ers' hand, but this seems unlikely as it was not his agent making this threat, but sources close to Crabtree that were coming out and saying this was how he felt. How would that have worked out for him? Crabtree would have enetered next year's draft having sat out a full year and with an enormous red flag hanging over him. He would have been drafted much lower than 10th over all, perhaps as low as in the second round, and his salary would have dropped accordingly. Would it have been worth it? He would have held out for less money and the 49ers, who currently have a 3-2 record without Crabtree, would be free of an overpriced headache.

While we can't say for sure what Crabtree was thinking during all of this, he now has to face the consequences. Yes, he got most of the money he wanted, but he certainly did not make any friends in the 49ers' locker room or within San Francisco's fan base. Despite being a rookie, Crabtree hasn't left himself much leeway for growing time. If he wants to be paid like a superstar and whine like a superstar, he better perform like one before the fans run him out of town. Let's hope other rookies take this lesson to heart as well. I know if someone offered me a few million dollars to play a sport I'd jump at the chance rather than complain about how much other people were getting paid. Sorry kids, but I have no sympathy for you if your $30 million lifestyle has to wait because your team is only offering you $20 million. Maybe you should earn your salary before you begin complaining.