Washington Redskins: Impacts of Landry contract on Jamison Crowder

One big deal can set the market at a position for years in the NFL.

For months, this was a notable subplot of the Kirk Cousins conundrum. It was known that the veteran quarterback would sign a market-setting deal, and the Washington Redskins were not keen on paying a player of his caliber.

It appears that regardless of the resolution of the Kirk Cousins saga via the Alex Smith trade, the Washington Redskins will still be forced to pay an ascending player at a position of ascending value. Cleveland Browns’ slot receiver Jarvis Landry recently agreed to a five-year extension worth $15 million a year, per Ian Rapoport. The move will undoubtedly drive up the value of the slot receiver market, and in turn, Jamison Crowder‘s next contract.

Cleveland could easily afford to pay Landry this much, so the deal will be of little consequence to them, at least for the foreseeable future. But for teams around the league with slot receivers soon due for contracts, such as the Washington Redskins, the move is a crucial one, and it could be the difference between the Washington Redskins locking down Crowder in 2019, and getting a compensatory pick in 2020 instead.

Crowder, statistically, is not the player that Jarvis Landry is. In the three years that both Crowder and Landry have been in the league, Landry has broken both 100 receptions and 1,000 yards twice, while Crowder has accomplished neither. Being the premier target in Miami helped with Landry’s production, but with another year of experience and three Pro Bowls to rest his hat on, Landry is a more valuable player than Crowder.

But in terms of proportional value, Landry’s $15 million contract will still have adverse effects for the Washington Redskins in negotiations with Crowder. Crowder, despite the gap between he and Landry, has not underachieved over the last three years. He’s eclipsed 600 yards in each of his first three seasons, and in 2016, he logged over 800 yards and seven touchdowns.

In all three years of Crowder’s career, he has provided a different kind of value. In 2015, he was the rookie on the fast track to success; a player who showed immense promise and teased of a bright future ahead. In 2016, he was the X-factor in the Washington Redskins offense; defenses knew he was a problem, but with Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson drawing attention as well, Crowder himself became a dangerous weapon.

In 2017, Crowder’s consistency took a minor hit, but in a receiving core that severely underwhelmed, Crowder was a rare piece of stability. 2017, in fact, may have been the year that Crowder cemented his value with the Washington Redskins the most; he showed that through team adversity and roster turmoil, he could remain a steady constant in the slot.

Reliability and availability are two of the most valuable qualities to be had in the NFL, and Crowder has both. His statistical production, compared to Landry, shouldn’t be viewed as a heavy weight in contract discussions. Crowder is an able player who the Washington Redskins rely upon in their offense as a dynamic weapon. He won’t get was Landry was paid. But now that the cap has been set at $15 million per year, Crowder will raise his asking price. The $47 million guaranteed number is also important. $47 million is well above half of the entirety of Landry’s contract value. Slot receivers could ask for similar guarantee proportions in the future, as a result.

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How high will that number be, you ask? It remains to be seen. Crowder has said he’s open to a contract extension. But no tangible progress was made from that assertion, and if Crowder deems himself to be invaluable to the Washington Redskins’ offense, he’ll make sure he gets paid like it. Here, or somewhere else.