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The rubber is set to meet the road on Tuesday, June 15. That will be the official start of New York Jets’ mandatory minicamp.
The title implies the expectations from head coach Robert Saleh. This minicamp is mandatory, so everyone is expected to show up including veteran wideout Jamison Crowder who has been absent up until this point.
The former Duke product is entering the final year of his contract. He’s set to make $10.3 million with none of it guaranteed.
General manager Joe Douglas wants Crowder to take a pay cut. How much of a pay cut? According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, “they’re trying to get him to take at least a 50% pay cut on his $10 million salary.”
While the veteran doesn’t want to make less money, it could actually work out for both sides.
By taking less overall in salary, Crowder could probably negotiate some guarantees into his deal. While Gang Green would get a more palatable number that they’re comfortable with heading into 2021.
Potential Pay Cut Won’t Stop the Drama
There’s no guarantee that Crowder will agree to a contract restructure to remain with the Jets, but if he does that won’t end the drama.
Most would assume that this contractual impasse is the last issue to get through before we reach a harmonious relationship between the veteran and Gang Green. Those people would assume wrong.
While this would be a temporary band-aid for both parties, it would truly open the door for a future trade down the road.
No team in their right mind would trade for Crowder considering his current salary. He’s the 25th highest-paid wideout in all of football in 2021. Most teams have already figured out their budgets for the year so trying to find a way to swallow a $10 plus million salary seems unlikely.
Although if that number was split in half ($5 million let’s say), that could move the needle for a team.
Cimini noted in his report that a potential restructure “won’t preclude” the team from trading him at some point.
When Could a Trade Happen?
There are two clear opportunities to trade Crowder during the NFL calendar.
In late August, NFL teams will be making their final roster cuts and they’ll also likely be dealing with a few injuries. Instead of going to leftovers in the free agency fridge, a team could get a bargain by trading for a talented player on a team with a huge surplus at wide receiver in the Jets.
The second opportunity will come during the middle of the 2021 season ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
The game of football is a sport that eats its’ young as my old radio partner used to say. In other words, injuries happen all the time unexpectedly. Gang Green could choose to ride its surplus at wideout into the season instead of letting Crowder go for nothing.
That would benefit the team two-fold. They would cover their own tuchus just in case the injury bug bites the Jets. Plus they could afford to sell off some of that surplus at the deadline based on the incredible depth they possess.
The Jets are going to lose Crowder at the end of 2021 anyway, so anything of significance they could acquire would be worth getting. Here are a few teams to keep an eye out for over the next batch of months:
- Green Bay Packers
- Detroit Lions
- Indianapolis Colts
Here are three potential trade packages the green and white could also consider for Crowder.
Do you think the Jets should trade Jamison Crowder? If so, what do you think they could get for him? Who would be a good fit? Reach us anytime on Facebook @HeavyOnJets, or Twitter @BoyGreen25 and @obermuller_nyj.
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