Michael Crabtree extension is a good sign for improving Oakland Raiders

Wide receiver Michael Crabtree was an afterthought for most of the offseason. Now no teams will have a chance to consider him as a free agent next offseason.

Crabtree will sign a four-year contract extension with the Oakland Raiders for $35 million, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport said. The deal has $19 million in guaranteed money. Crabtree didn't get much interest as a free agent last year, after a down 2014 season with Colin Kaepernick throwing him the ball on the San Francisco 49ers. This year he has had a nice bounceback, with 66 catches, 760 yards and seven touchdowns after signing a one-year deal.

And this move is a good sign things are turning around for the Raiders, who have taken a nice step forward this year.

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Crabtree might be a bit expensive at just under $9 million per season, but he's a valuable No. 2 receiver next to budding star Amari Cooper. Crabtree is 26th in the NFL in receiving yards, tied for 14th in receptions and tied for ninth in touchdowns. Not many teams have a better second option on the outside. And Crabtree turns 29 next September. He should be a nice target for Derek Carr for a few years.

It's also the type of signing the Raiders have been able to make that often in recent years. Remember Jared Veldheer and Lamarr Houston getting on the first plane out of Oakland when their deals were up? In past years, Crabtree would have signed his "prove it" deal and then bolted for a better team right after proving it. That Crabtree, who doesn't come across as the type to easily take a hometown discount before hitting the open market, would sign now is a positive for the Raiders. It's another sign that the Raiders are becoming a team players will want to play for. They were in the playoff mix for a while this season and should feel going into next season that they can compete for a wild-card spot. Crabtree signing before he can even be sure where the Raiders will be playing over the length of his contract, given the stadium situation in Oakland, is another sign of him really wanting to be with this Raiders team as it improves.

Of course the money helps, and $35 million isn't a bad payday for a guy who settled for a one-year, $3.2 million deal when a better market didn't materialize for him in the first month of free agency. But salary-cap space isn't really a big problem for the Raiders. They have plenty of it. And retaining a player who looked like just a one-year rental, after Crabtree has had a pretty nice season and would have gotten a nice deal on the open market from someone, is another signal that things might be changing in Oakland.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab