NFL Roster Rumors: Oakland Raiders Reportedly Planning To Retain Michael Crabtree
It looks like the Oakland Raiders are planning to keep wide receiver Michael Crabtree despite the subpar season he had last year.
According to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, the Raiders reportedly want to bring Crabtree back for a fourth season with the franchise.
Crabtree caught 58 passes for 618 yards (10.7 average) in 14 games with the Raiders last season to go with eight touchdowns. Those numbers were a far cry from the career-high 89 receptions for 1,003 yards (11.3 average) and eight touchdowns he recorded during the 2016 season.
The former Texas Tech University standout was also suspended for one game after he got into a fight with cornerback Aqib Talib during their match against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 26.
Crabtree's seven million dollars base salary for 2018 is not guaranteed, which makes him a candidate to be released this offseason. However, the Raiders seem to believe that he can bounce back next season, and they are willing to give him another chance.
"Mike didn't finish, but neither did we as a team," Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie told reporters at the National Football League (NFL) scouting combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, via the Raiders' official website.
"Things did not go well, so we can point fingers at a lot of those types of situations, but we're not going to dwell on what happened last year. It's all about that, we're going to press forward, and get the most out of the guys we got, and get it working," he continued.
New Raiders head coach Jon Gruden also backed Crabtree during a press conference at the scouting combine on Wednesday.
"Well, he's on the team, Gruden said of Crabtree, via ESPN. "Like I said, I'd love to coach all these guys. It's a big reason I was excited to get here, so we'll let you know," he added.
