ALAMEDA — Michael Crabtree wanted to be a Raider and was all smiles a day after signing his four-year, $35 million extension.
“It’s always nice to get it done,” Crabtree said Thursday. “That way we can just go play football. You ain’t worried about where you’re going to be next year. It’s pretty neat that you know you’re wanted and you want to be on a team, and you’re here.”
Crabtree, 28, who was playing on a one-year, $3.2 million deal this season, had in recent weeks brushed off any talk about his future. But both sides saw value in getting Crabtree locked up before he hit free agency and that allowed the deal to come together.