Parade of busts among free-agent WR and TE moves
John Clayton ESPN Senior Writer
Other NFL owners should thank the Oakland Raiders for signing Michael Crabtree to a four-year, $35 million contract.
Crabtree's signing further depletes an already thin 2016 free-agent class of wide receivers. If the Chicago Bears franchise had signed wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to a contract extension, there might not be a receiver on the market who could get more than $6 million a year. A thin free-agent market at certain positions protects teams from making shaky investments.
For the most part, teams seeking help at wide receiver and tight end last offseason didn't get bang for their buck. The Kansas City Chiefs made a significant catch signing Jeremy Maclin to a five-year, $55 million contract, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid knew what they were getting because he coached Maclin in Philadelphia.
The other two success stories turned out to be cheap investments. The New York Jets stole Brandon Marshall for a fifth-round choice. He's brought them 83 catches for 1,062 yards. The Raiders took a $3 million flier on Crabtree and made him a No. 2 receiver opposite Rookie of the Year candidate Amari Cooper. He has 66 catches for 760 yards and seven touchdowns.
Most of the bigger receiver moves, however, haven't worked out. The San Francisco 49ers paid $8 million a year for Torrey Smith, but he has only 23 catches for 529 yards in mostly a two- and three-tight-end offense. Andre Johnson cost $7 million a year, but the Indianapolis Colts are using him more like a fourth receiver. He has only 28 catches for 367 yards.
Percy Harvin's contract could be voided after one year, and there is a good chance it will be. He made $6 million this year, but he had only 19 catches for 218 yards before the Buffalo Bills put him on injured reserve. Dwayne Bowesigned a two-year, $13 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, but the number of games he's spent on the inactive list exceeds the number of receptions he's made (3). The Minnesota Vikings picked up Mike Wallace's $12 million-a-year contract for only a fifth-round pick, but his big-play ability has produced only three 20-plus-yard receptions and only a 12-yards-per-catch average.
Investments at tight end have been equally shaky. The Seahawks didn't get $10 million-a-year value out of tight end Jimmy Graham before he went on the injured reserve list. The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten only modest results from Julius Thomas -- 31 catches for 298 yards -- despite giving him a blockbuster five-year, $46 million deal.
Getting good returns out of high-priced receivers and tight ends from other teams is often as difficult as figuring out how NFL officials determine what is and what is not a catch. History is littered with mistakes. Javon Walker, David Boston, Jerry Porter, Percy Harvin (Seattle) and Mike Wallace (Miami) are just a few cases in which teams have spent big money for little results.
Clearly, it's better to get receivers out of the draft. Recent drafts have been loaded with No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. Franchises have four years to develop those receivers and then determine if they are good enough for second contracts. The tight end market has been trickier because the past couple of drafts haven't offered great tight end prospects.
Don't expect big spending on receivers next year. The Bears face an important decision with Jeffery, who is arguably a No. 1. Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are free agents, but the Cincinnati Bengals might re-sign one of them.Rishard Matthews (Miami), Travis Benjamin (Cleveland), Rueben Randle (New York Giants) and Brian Quick (St. Louis) finish out the 2016 free-agent class.
There might be more play at tight end, which offers Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener of the Colts and Gary Barnidge of the Browns.
The Raiders did things the right way. They drafted the best receiver (Cooper) and gambled low and right on Crabtree in free agency. In the process, they set up quarterback Derek Carr for success. Other teams in the receiver market should be envious.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/firstandgoal151211/parade-busts-free-agent-wr-te-moves-nfl
