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49ers Unlikely to Re-sign Michael Crabtree

In news that likely won’t surprise those who have followed the situation in San Francisco closely, Matt Barrows over at the Sacramento Bee is reporting that the 49ers are unlikely to re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Once seen as a true No. 1 receiver for San Francisco, this former first-round pick has seen his production dip a great deal since suffering an Achilles injury prior to the start of the 2013 season. This past year saw Crabtree tally 68 receptions for less than 700 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games. It was Crabtree’s worst receiving season since his rookie year in 2009 when he played in just 11 games after holding out.

Considering San Francisco is going to look to shed some contracts in order to get far enough under the cap to make some noise in free agency, the team will likely look to move on from Crabtree. That’s only magnified by what has been a strained relationship between the receiver and front office over the years.

Without Crabtree, the 49ers currently possess Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson as starting receivers. Entering the final year of his contract, Boldin is likely not going to play beyond the 2015 season. In addition to this, Johnson has a $6 million salary cap hit for next season—a deal that San Francisco can get out from under while saving the full $6 million against the cap.

In addition to potentially looking at the free agent market for a receiver, San Francisco will likely look long and hard at that position in the first round of April’s draft. While Alabama’s Amari Cooper will be off the board at 15, the likes of West Virginia’s Kevin White and Louisville’s DaVante Parker might be available.

In any event, Crabtree’s career in San Francisco appears to be over. It will now be interesting to see where he ends up on the free-agent market next month. My bet is with the Oakland Raiders across the bay.

Photo: USA Today

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