The Arizona Cardinals had seemingly made a splash with the signing of wide receiver Michael Crabtree before negotiations ultimately stalled. It appears they have now finally managed to get a deal done with the help of a mutual connection with head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
It has been more than two weeks since the signing had been announced. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Crabtree hired the same agent as Kingsbury before ultimately agreeing to terms on a one-year deal.
According to NFLPA records, Crabtree parted ways with Doug Hendrickson and hired Erik Burkhardt in the time since Crabtree visited Arizona. Given the mandatory five-day waiting period that applies when a player disengages with one agent, the wheels surely were put in motion not long after Crabtree landed on Arizona’s radar, worked out for the team along with two other receivers, emerged as the winner of the workout, but declined to accept the terms offered by the Cardinals.
It is safe to say that having the same representation as Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray provided Crabtree's camp with some solid leverage in negotiations. While there is plenty of speculation about some of the ethics involved, it clearly led to some quick results.
There is no denying that Kingsbury and Murray are happy to have another experienced wideout alongside Larry Fitzgerald to help stabilize their otherwise young receiving corps. The announcement of Crabtree's signing came just after the team had released wide receiver Kevin White.
The 32-year-old will only have two exhibition games left to find his footing int he offense before the start of the 2019 NFL season. As a result, Crabtree could see ample playing time with the starters this Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings.
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