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Why the 2018 season will be pivotal to Jamison Crowder’s future with the Redskins

By Jacob Camenker

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Jamison Crowder #80 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the NFL International Series game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Jamison Crowder #80 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the NFL International Series game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 23: Brandon Scherff #75 of the Washington Redskins enters the field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 23: Brandon Scherff #75 of the Washington Redskins enters the field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Crowder is due for an extension… along with two others

One of the biggest motivating factors for Crowder is that he will be hitting free agency during the 2019 offseason. Should he have a big year, there’s a good chance that he will earn a lucrative contract in free agency, especially if the Redskins deem him worthy of keeping. However, should he continue to stagnate, there’s a chance that he could end up taking a backseat to a couple of other priorities.

In addition to Crowder, stud right guard Brandon Scherff and starting rush linebacker Preston Smith are both set to hit the free agent market. Both should get hefty deals commensurate with their skill sets.

I’ve discussed Scherff’s potential deal with the Redskins at length in the past. It stands to reason that he will receive a contract that makes him one of the five highest-paid guards in the league, and it’s within the realm of possibility that he becomes the second-highest paid. That would likely carry a $13 million annual tag at the least, so Scherff will cost a pretty penny. He’s also the player that the Redskins will almost certainly re-sign.

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As for Smith, he’s a bit tougher to truly value. But, he has 20.5 sacks in three NFL seasons, he has excellent length and athleticism, and he has a good pass rushing skill set. The one knock on him is that he hasn’t been consistent, yet he has still produced two seasons in which he recorded eight sacks. That’s very good, especially considering he did it in his rookie season as a rotational player.

Considering the premium that is currently being placed on pass rushers at the NFL level, it’s well within the realm of possibility that Smith could receive a massive payday. If he breaks out and has a 10-plus sack season, some team could consider giving him $13-$15 million per year. That may sound crazy on the surface, but that’s just the market for pass rushers right now. I mean, Trent Murphy got $7.5 million per year after missing an entire season!

In short, these two deals are going to complicate Crowder’s ability to stay. If Scherff and Smith continue to play at a high level and Crowder doesn’t show much growth, the Redskins could consider investing their money in those two players, leaving nothing left over to sign Crowder.

Of course, they can always look to increase their cap room to sign all three, but that would create new holes on their roster, as they would likely have to release or restructure Jordan Reed and/or Josh Norman. While the Skins may do both of those things, it’s not a given at the moment. Either way, the cap crunch with these three contracts will definitely have an impact on Crowder.

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