pick in the 1989 draft. The 49ers would have had the option to trade the rights to Crabtree only after March 1, 2010, and up until the next draft. If a team were to trade for the rights, that team would not be able to sign such a player before the 2010 NFL Draft. If he was not signed by the 49ers and then traded to another team, his contract would have then counted against that team's 2010 rookie pool. On September 21, 2009, the 49ers filed charges against the New York Jets for attempting to tamper with their negotiations with Crabtree. The 49ers may believe the Jets contacted Crabtree's agent to let him know they'd be interested in trading for his rights, or in drafting him in 2010 with a better salary than the 49ers were offering. The 49ers had until November 17 to sign Crabtree or he wouldn't be allowed to play in the 2009 season along with it being considered a non-accrued season for contract purposes. On October 7, 2009, ESPN reported that Crabtree and the 49ers had agreed to a six-year contract. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the deal would be worth $32 million, with $17 million guaranteed, $8 million more than offered by the team in August 2009, but also a year longer. On October 25, 2009, Crabtree made his first career NFL start against the Houston Texans. 2009 The 49ers had a comparatively unremarkable season in 2009, finishing 8–8 and second in the NFC West, although they defeated the defending NFC champion Cardinals twice; on the season opener and in Week 14 on Monday Night Football. In Week 15, they lost 27–13 to the Eagles, which completely eliminated them from playoff contention. The final two games were easy wins over Detroit and St. Louis. On the bright side, the 49ers finished at .500 for the first time since 2002. 2010 Optimistic predictions for 2010 were not borne out when the team started 2010, 0–4 after losses to Seattle, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Atlanta. In week five, they hosted the Eagles where bad performance by the team led booing of Alex Smith by 49ers fans. Despite nearly being benched, he came back and began playing better, but it still wasn't enough and Philadelphia walked away with a 27–24 win. The 49ers finally won in week six by hosting Oakland in the "Battle of the Bay".