Now that the Oakland Raiders are on the verge of adding Jordy Nelson, there’s going to be another shoe to drop here soon. That likely includes the release of fellow veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
Now, according to NFL Media’s Mike Silver, that will likely come at some point Thursday.
Crabtree will likely be released today. We'll discuss a potential landing spot on @nflnetwork next https://t.co/MMXQBQewtO
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) March 15, 2018
It’s most definitely an interesting thing to look at. Crabtree is coming off a three-year run in Oakland that saw him average 77 receptions for 848 yards and eight touchdowns. Though, he did struggle to the tune of 58 catches for 618 yards last season. Meanwhile, Nelson put up some horrible numbers with Aaron Rodgers sidelined for the majority of the 2017 season in Green Bay. He put up less than 500 yards — the receiver’s worst statistical output since his sophomore season back in 2009.
Now that Oakland is looking to team Nelson up with Amari Cooper, Crabtree is obviously the odd-man out. By releasing him, the Raiders will save $7.7 million against the cap. Coincidentally enough, that seems to be the type of contract Nelson is on the verge of signing with Oakland.
In a free agent market that has seen wide receivers vastly overpaid, the 30-year-old Crabtree should draw a ton of interest. Just don’t expect him to return to his San Francisco 49ers roots. After all, Richard Sherman might have something to say about that. Then again, a move to Seattle would be about the most popcorn-worthy thing we’ve seen in the NFL in some time.
Stay tuned.