It's been over two weeks since Pro Football Talk initially reported that the Arizona Cardinals had signed former San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The news and rumor site admitted to jumping the gun but it looks like the signing has finally come to fruition.
Maybe. We think. Probably.
No, it has. The latest report of the Cardinals signing the veteran receiver comes from the team itself with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reporting that a deal was close.
We have agreed to terms with WR Michael Crabtree on a one-year contract.
DETAILS: https://t.co/Ry9NNWy66V pic.twitter.com/vSdGxCKJoi
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 22, 2019
Sources: The #AZCardinals are closing in on a deal with veteran FA WR Michael Crabtree. He visited a few weeks ago, didn't agree to terms, but it is almost there this time. Some savvy help in the passing game.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2019
So it looks like Crabtree's dealings with cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib aren't done yet. Sherman is now with the 49ers while Talib is with the Los Angeles Rams.
Every Niners fan remembers the drama between Sherman and Crabtree in that NFC Championship Game after the 2013 season. The then-Seahawks cornerback would later go on to call Crabtree a "subpar player" in a column for Sports Illustrated.
"A lot of what I said to (Erin) Andrews (in the post-game interview) was adrenaline talking, and some of that was Crabtree," wrote Sherman. "I just don't like him."
As for Talib, maybe Crabtree just shouldn't wear any gold chains around his neck when he plays the Rams.
The 49ers made Crabtree the No. 10 overall pick in 2009, and he spent his first six NFL seasons in San Francisco. He then crossed over to the other Bay Area NFL team, the Raiders, where he played for three seasons before spending 2018 with the Ravens.
Crabtree recorded 54 catches for 607 receiving yards with three touchdowns with Baltimore last season. He has registered 633 receptions for 7,477 yards with 54 touchdowns in his 10 NFL seasons but has not posted a 1,000-yard campaign since 2016 while with the Raiders, when the receiver had 89 catches for 1,003 yards with eight touchdowns.