Baltimore Ravens Part Ways With WR Michael Crabtree

Last year, the Baltimore Ravens signed veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree to a three-year, $21 million deal. This year, he won’t be wearing the black-and-purple at all.

On Monday, the Ravens parted ways with the former Texas Tech star after just one season. Crabtree played well when Joe Flacco was under center but according to ESPN, he caught just 13 passes from Baltimore’s new starter and face of the future, Lamar Jackson. That said, it was two Lamar Jackson-to-Michael Crabtree touchdown connections that made their playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers respectable. The Ravens trailed 23-3 before the pair of Crabtree touchdown catches, though they eventually lost 23-17.

In total, Crabtree caught 54 balls in 2018, reaching the endzone only three times. Notably, Crabtree dropped a touchdown pass against Cleveland earlier in the season that would have secured a win for the Ravens.

The move to release Crabtree will benefit Baltimore financially.

Crabtree, 31, was scheduled to receive a $2.5 million roster bonus next month and earn $7.5 million in 2019 after leading the NFL with eight dropped passes last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Baltimore will free up $4.667 million in salary-cap room by parting ways with Crabtree.

(via ESPN)

For his career, the former first-round pick has 633 receptions, 7,477 receiving yards, and 54 touchdowns. In three different seasons, he’s hauled in 80-plus passes (’12,’15,’16) and twice, he’s amassed more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season (’12,’16).

Featured Image: Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 2.0], from Flickr