Former Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder plans to sign a three-year, $28.5 million contract with the New York Jets, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The deal has $17 million guaranteed.
Crowder will join Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson (restricted free agent) as the Jets’ top three receivers. New coach Adam Gase has spoken highly of Enunwa and Anderson, calling them “unique” talents, but he felt there was a void at slot receiver. Crowder fills that void.
This means the Jets likely will move on from Jermaine Kearse, a pending free agent. Kearse, acquired in a 2017 trade with the Seattle Seahawks, saw his production decline last season. He caught only 37 passes for 371 yards and a touchdown, as he struggled to find a role in Jeremy Bates’ offense. Bates no longer is the Jets’ offensive coordinator.
In Crowder, Enunwa and Anderson, the Jets have an improved receiving corps, but it’s worth noting that no one on the roster has had a 1,000-yard season.
Crowder, 25, missed seven games last season with a sprained ankle and finished with a career-low 29 receptions for 383 yards and two touchdowns for Washington.
He had missed only one game in his first three seasons, though he often missed time in training camp with nagging injuries.
Crowder has been one of the more effective slot receivers since entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick (105th overall) out of Duke in 2015. Of his 221 career catches, 150 have come out of the slot — 13th most in the NFL over the past four seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
He also returned punts for Washington, though with mixed success. He averaged 12.1 yards per return in 2016, but that was sandwiched between years in which he averaged 5.3 yards and 6.3 yards, respectively. Crowder returned only two punts last season.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini and John Keim contributed to this report.