Michael Crabtree Rumors: WR Reportedly Will Return to Raiders Next Season

Michael Crabtree will reportedly be back for a fourth season with the Oakland Raiders.

Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported the team is not planning to release Crabtree despite his $7.7 million cap hit for 2018, per Spotrac. The Raiders would not incur dead cap charges for releasing Crabtree, which means they could free $7.7 million if they chose to move on.

The 2017 season was a major disappointment for Crabtree, as he recorded just 58 receptions for 618 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. His receptions were his fewest over a full season since 2010, and his yards were the lowest full-season total of his career. Crabtree was also suspended for a game in November after he got into a brawl with Denver Broncos corner Aqib Tailb.

After the last game of the season, Crabtree talked about getting few targets in Weeks 16 and 17.

"If I react, then I'm a bad guy, you know what I'm saying?" he told reporters.

"I done played 60 minutes every time we play. Game-winners after game-winners, like I do everything they asked of me. These last two games, I probably had three targets, but nobody's saying nothing about that."

The Raiders cleaned house with their coaching staff this offseason, hiring Jon Gruden out of the ESPN broadcast booth and giving him a 10-year contract. The apparent strategy for now is to keep things generally the same, placing the onus on better coaching for a roster that finished 12-4 in 2016.

Gruden told Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group that Crabtree and running back Marshawn Lynch, two expensive veterans who underperformed in 2017, should return. Lynch's status is likely the more tenuous of the two given the nature of his position.

Even if both return, it's possible the Raiders will ask them to restructure their contracts. Oakland could also try to convert some of its base salaries into bonuses in exchange for 2018 cap space, though that would possibly bring dead cap charges in 2019.

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2t3PQGk