Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers announced that defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey signed a 2-year contract extension. In the post-signing buzz, Ian Rapoport tweeted something interesting about wide receiver Michael Crabtree:
#49ers next contract target: WR Michael Crabtree. There is progress. Hope is for a deal before the season. Otherwise shelved until after
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2014
Is Crabtree a No. 1 WR? Talent, yes. Injuries make it tough. He's willing to earn thru incentives top-end $$ rather than argue for that base
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2014
There are no other details to explain what kind of progress has been made, but this is the most positive report we have heard to date. Trent Baalke acknowledged there were negotiations, but never went into much more detail. He said at some point the two sides would stop negotiating so that all parties could focus on the season. Rapoport's first tweet would seem to jive with what Baalke said in July.
The latter tweet is also not surprising, considering Crabtree is continuing his comeback from last year's torn Achilles. Crabtree missed the first 11 regular season games. Prior to that, he had missed time in the preseason over several years, but he missed only one game due to injury. He has shown he can be healthy, but the Achilles and the foot issues of the past are something that will remain in the negotiation.
Crabtree knows he is an incredibly talented wide receiver, and much like his QB is betting on himself with his contract, a similar "bet on himself" contract would not surprise me with Crabtree. It remains to be seen exactly how that will shape up if a deal gets done with the 49ers, but I also imagine he would be looking at a similar deal wherever he might end up.
It remains to be seen if a deal will get done, but it is good to hear some positive news on this front.