The situation in San Francisco between the 49ers and receiver Michael Crabtree is quickly going from bad to worse.
Per a league source, agent Eugene Parker is telling the 49ers that Crabtree will sit out the season and re-enter the draft in 2010, unless the team gives Crabtree what he wants.
Of course, what Crabtree specifically wants isn't known, since Parker (as multiple sources tell us) still hasn't made a proposal.
There's also a growing chorus of league insiders who are speaking out against the widely-believed effort by Parker to blow up the slotting process with Crabtree. Teams obviously would contend that the unwritten rules of draft-pick negotiation ritual should be honored; however, some of the agents who arguably would benefit from the introduction of chaos privately have described efforts to blow the curve as "inappropriate" and "unacceptable" and "wrong."
And if Crabtree opts to re-enter the draft next year, the current thinking is that he wouldn't be the first receiver drafted. For now, the guy who is regarded as likely to be the first wideout (and possibly the first overall pick) is Illinois junior Arrelious Benn.
Then again, if Crabtree is picked any higher than No. 10 after having a chance to engage in pre-draft workouts, he'd likely end up with more money than the slotting process currently would pay.
After, of course, waiting a year to get it.