The Cincinnati Bengals just signed Andre Smith, leaving Michael Crabtree as the lone holdout remaining. However, the team is optimistic they will get a deal done. 49ers GM Scot McCloughan told the San Francisco Chronicle this week that he’s confident the two sides will reach a deal. “It’ll get done,” McCloughan told the paper. “What’s three or four months on a five- or six-year contract?”

Great… so is he saying they’ll reach a deal come December? I’ve been saying on this blog that I thought Crabtree would sign before the final preseason game. That would be Friday, September 4. After reading the comments above I’m not sure that will happen. If Crabtree is getting financial backing then he may not feel the pressure to sign and not miss those fat game checks.

Tonight the San Francisco 49ers will face their Bay Area rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in a game that should have showcased Michael Crabtree’s ability to the team that passed him up for Darrius Heyward Bey. Instead, Crabtree is still sitting at home waiting for a new contract to come that will pay him more money than the No. 7 pick. It’s a fax that may never come.

There are only two first round picks left unsigned, Michael Crabtree and Cincinnati’s Andre Smith. At this point, we’ll assume that Smith will be in camp next week leaving Crabtree the lone holdout heading into the final preseason games and ultimately the regular season.

I still think that Crabtree is bluffing when he says that he’ll sit out the entire 2009 season. He is just waiting till the last possible moment to sign. He wants to scare the 49ers into giving in.

Has Michael Crabtree come down a bit on his contract negotiations? Initial reports stated that Crabtree was asking for Top 3 money, despite being selected 10th overall. Now I’m hearing that he is asking for a contract similar to Darrius Heyward-Bey’s. Darrius signed a five-year contract at $38.25 million, $23.5 guaranteed.

Crabtree might be coming down a bit on his demands after feeling the heat from fans and teammates. He was recently called out by TE Vernon Davis. “He needs to get his butt in here,” Davis said. “He should take what he can get and get here.”

I expect to see Crabtree sign a deal following the San Francisco 49ers first preseason game on Friday.

The San Francisco 49ers got hit with some unsettling news yesterday. Rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree is threatening to sit out the 2009 season if the Niners don’t give him a deal guaranteeing more than $23.5 million. Even though Crabtree was selected 10th overall, he wants a deal that will pay him more than Darius Heyward-Bey, who was selected 7th overall. Crabtree feels he was the best WR in the draft and should be paid that way.

“We are prepared to do it,” David Wells, a cousin of Crabtree, told ESPN. “Michael just wants fair market value. Michael is one of the best players in the draft, and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players.”

As much as I love Crabtree and think he will be a Pro Bowl wide receiver… this is just a terrible strategy. Crabtree may end up being a better pro than Heyward-Bey, but the fact is he was selected 10th overall and should accept a salary for the slot. If Crabtree were to sit out an entire season he will make significantly less. There is no way he would be a top 10 pick in the 2010 draft after missing his entire rookie year. In fact, he may not be a first round pick at all. It’s a move that would cost him $15+ million.

The 49ers know this and they’ll stand their ground. The pick is the pick.

What’s your take on the situation. Should the 49ers cave and pay him more than the 7th pick?