Entering his seventh NFL season, nothing surprises Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder anymore.
Crowder and the Jets agreed to a restructured contract on Monday that includes a pay cut for the team’s leading receiver the last two years. Just how much of a pay cut Crowder took has not been reported, but he said there are no hard feelings between the sides.
“I didn’t really have much of a reaction,” Crowder said when the Jets reached out to him about his contract. “I just understand that it’s a business, and now it’s kinda what it was.”
Crowder was scheduled to make $10 million this season, the final year of a three-year, $28.5 million contract he signed in 2019. Now, he will make significantly less.
Restructured contracts, free-agent signings and teammates getting traded are nothing new to Crowder. Just this offseason, Crowder saw his quarterback, Sam Darnold, get traded to the Carolina Panthers. Crowder was unfazed when he heard the news and stuck to his “It’s just a business” motto.
Not only was Crowder’s quarterback traded away, but the Jets also decided to draft Crowder’s potential replacement in Elijah Moore out of Ole Miss with the 34th-overall pick. However, Crowder is greeting the rookie with open arms.
Between Moore and the free-agent signings of Corey Davis and Keelan Cole, Crowder thinks the Jets could have one of the better passing attacks in the league.
“That’s a lot of talent, man. For sure,” Crowder said. “There’s no reason why, from a passing standpoint, we shouldn’t have success. We have talent. We’ve got the guys. We should definitely have some success in the passing game.”
First-year head coach Robert Saleh is looking forward to working with the Jets new weapons. His excitement grew when the team and Crowder reached an agreement on his new deal.
“We’re really excited. We think he’s going to be fantastic in this system. We’ll give him the opportunity to go showcase what he has done his entire career and that’s make plays,” Saleh said. “We’re really excited to have him here. Excited to get him in the fold and excited to work with him. We’re very fortunate.”
Unfortunately for Crowder, all of the Jets’ recent business decisions could force him out of New York — though at least now likely after the season and not before. After this season, Crowder will hit free agency at the age of 28.
