Michael Crabtree being Crabby!

Michael Crabtree being Crabby!

“Oh greed, from which pit of hell cometh thou?”

I don’t get this folks, SOMEBODY tell me what I am missing here!

The last few years I was fortunate enough to watch some Texas Tech games on television and loved how these guys played. We were almost guaranteed many points every game, and it was most exciting. This high scoring team had a great quarterback, and also a great receiver, showcased last year when Texas Tech beat Texas in a thriller.

(R.I.P MJ)

One of the stars was Michael Crabtree, a sure-fire first round pick in the NFL draft. I realized that whoever picked this guy would certainly be in a good position to build a good offense, even with a decent quarterback.

So the NFL Draft comes around, and Michael Crabtree is picked #10 by the San Francisco 49ers…ok, not exactly the best team in the NFL at the moment, but to be sure there is great promise with what they have there. Seems like a no brainer; Crabtree signs, he gets on the team, works out and bingo, the 49ers have a new weapon that could just make the difference in them getting to the playoffs.

Problem.

That rare disease called Divamentia has descended on Michael Crabtree, where he thinks that he should be paid even more than the offer.

Let’s see…the 49ers are offering him about $20,000,000 over a 5 year period, with about $16,000,000 guaranteed. He’d be making about $4 million a year. He wants MORE money, comparable to the higher picks.

Comparable to what?

Darrius Heyward-Bey was picked #7 in the draft, the only other receiver ahead of Crabtree. He signed a 5 year deal guaranteeing him at least $23 million, but can make over $38 million.

Eugene Monroe was picked #8, and will get about $35 million, with about $19 million guaranteed. So what in the world is Crabbytree looking for?

If you looked at the 2009 draft, and what the players all signed for (except Crabtree) you can see a progressive change from the first pick on down. Generally speaking, the higher you are drafted, the more money you can be signed for, over a 4-6 year deal. Most players signed for 5 years, a few signed for 4 or 6.

The progression of salaries and guaranteed contracts goes lower as the picks go lower. For example, Matthew Stafford was the #1 pick, and signed with the Lions for 6 years, $72 million with almost $42 million guaranteed. The second pick was Jason Smith, who signed for the St. Louis Rams for 5 years, almost $62 million with $33 million guaranteed.

From there it decreases in salary as the pick get lower. One exception is Andre Smith, who signed with the Bengals for only 4 years, $26 million ,but $21 million of that guaranteed. From there the contract gets progressively lower.

If you look at the lower picks under Crabtree, you see that the #12 pick was Knowshon Moreno was picked by Denver for 5 years, $23 million, with $13 million of that guaranteed. Fellow receiver Jeremy Maclin was selected #19, and his contract was for 5 years, almost $15 million, with just over $9 million guaranteed.

You get the idea? The higher you are picked, the more money you can get, the lower you are picked, the less money you will sign for. If we were to use some kinda math at what Michael Crabtree should get since he was picked #10, it might be something along maybe $21 or $22 million, with about $16 million guaranteed…there abouts.

But that’s not enough. Crabtree wants similar money to what Darrius Heyward-Bey makes, which is about $15 million MORE than the contract that Crabtree has on the table, and about another 8 or 9 million guaranteed.

He wants #7 money when he was NOT the #7 pick….what makes this dude think he deserves that kind of money?

And the problem is that he looks at Brandon Marshall with the Broncos throw a temper tantrum and get what he wants, he sees Terrell Owens as “Mouth Almighty” and gets what he wants, and thinks that every receiver has to be the center of the universe. So Crabtree has already missed every bit of training camp, and the season has already started…he is now of no use to the 49ers.

And there is the thought of reentering the draft next year for a higher pick… a foolish gamble if you ask me.

Guys like this make me wish that he gets picked MUCH later in the first round, preferably the second round, so he can dream about those big dollars he left on the table. I realize this is a business, but the business wanted to award him $16 million guaranteed! That would have made him the 10th highest paid rookie of the draft…isn’t that the way it is supposed to work?

With the length of contract and the overall salary, it gets a little sketchy, but maybe his argument was that there was such a dropoff from the #9 pick, B.J. Raji, picked by the Packers for 5 years, $28 million with $18 guaranteed to his $20 million, $16 million guaranteed. The difference of $8 million dollars might have been what upset him…and his agent.

If the 49ers make a deal with him, (and I hope they don’t), they might offer a few million more, maybe give him a $24 or $25 million dollar deal, maybe $17 million guaranteed, but how can they go any higher? He does not deserve it, he has not shown anything on the field, and he is suffering from Divamentia…somebody help the poor guy!

A sad story to be sure…where $20 million dollars just doesn’t buy what it used to…maybe he ought to take a part time job at Wal-Mart…I am sure they got one in San Francisco….