Perhaps it’s Crabtree

A few days into training camp and still there has been no breakthroughs with the contracts for first rounders Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers. As a Bronco fan you may wonder exactly why. Well, Michael Crabtree sure isn’t doing anything to help speed up this process.

The 10th overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, Michael Crabtree.

Mr. Crabtree and his agent Eugene Parker believe that it was a mistake for the former Texas Tech receiver to fall to the tenth overall pick. They also want to prove it financially by landing a contract that consists of a figure that a top five pick would earn. The Niners aren’t exactly in concordance with this belief. Since usually the way rookies get signed is based off of the amount the player picked near them cashed in this could complicate things. Crabtree and Parker are seriously messing things up for the players picked in that region such as Moreno.

The best way to explain this situation is to quote what a famous Colorado citizen named Randy Marsh once told his son Stan, “Well son, it’s simple economics…I don’t understand it at all.”

Thankfully Matt Maiocco of the Press Democrat was able to shed some light on the situation.

If history tells us anything it’s that Crabtree’s agent, Eugene Parker, does not mind engaging in holdout tactics. 

At least four of Parker’s clients had contract issues last season. Bills tackle Jason Peters skipped 43 days and missed the season opener. Rams running back Steven Jackson held out for 27 days before signing a new contract. Bears return man Devin Hester did not report for the first two days of camp before signing a new deal. And Cardinals rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie missed two practices before signing his contract.

That is quite the track record. All this does is make things harder for picks nine, ten and twelve. The ninth, B.J. Raji hasn’t signed yet, and it doesn’t help either that the eleventh overall pick Aaron Maybin is on his way to holdout-sville. So this leaves the Broncos in a hard place for contract negotiations for both of their first rounders, especially Moreno. 

If Crabtree actually gets the payday he’s hoping for this could is a huge blow to the already heavily criticized rookie contract system. Just because a player believes that he is a better than his selected spot doesn’t mean he deserves the money. Let’s all just hope that Denver’s first rounders can avoid this obstacle and start getting some reps at camp.