Jamison Wesley Crowder (born June 17, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

wide receiver for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

, and was drafted by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

in the fourth round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...

Early years

A native of

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager ...

, Crowder was a three-year letterman at Monroe High School under coach Johnny Sowell. He helped lead Monroe High School to a three-year record of 29–10 with three state playoff berths. As a junior, he had 26 catches for 618 yards with 19 total touchdowns. He participated in the 74th annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas played December 18, 2010, in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Of ...

. Crowder also participated in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

. He helped Monroe to a 32-1 record and the 2010 1A state basketball championship, leading this to be named Rocky River Conference Player of the Year in basketball. As a senior, he rushed for 641 yards and 11 touchdowns, caught 41 passes for 790 yards and nine touchdowns and had four returns for scores. He was a 2010 first-team All-state (1A) choice by NCPreps.com and named Rocky River Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2010. Crowder was rated by '' Rivals.com'' as a three-star recruit, as well as the No. 65 athlete in the nation according to ''

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...

''.

College career

Crowder played

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

from 2011 to 2014 under head coach

David Cutcliffe David Nelson Cutcliffe (born September 16, 1954) is the Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Football Relations at the Southeastern Conference and former college football coach, most recently head coach of the Duke University Blue Devils. ...

. As a true freshman, he played in all 12 games and recorded 14 receptions for 163 yards and one

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

. Crowder became a starter his sophomore year in 2012, starting all 13 games. He finished the year with 76 receptions for 1,074 yards and eight touchdowns. As a junior in 2013, he started all 14 games. He finished with an ACC-record 108 receptions for 1,360 yards and eight touchdowns. Crowder again started all 13 games as a senior in 2014. In his final college game, the

2014 Sun Bowl The 2014 Sun Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 27, 2014, at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. In this 81st edition of the Sun Bowl, Arizona State from the Pac-12 Conference met Duke from the Atlantic C ...

, he tied the ACC's all-time receptions record with 283. He finished the 2014 season with 85 receptions for 1,044 yards and six touchdowns. Crowder finished his career with 283 receptions for 3,641 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also returned a school-record five

punt return In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final d ...

s for touchdowns.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Crowder was picked by the

in the fourth round with the 105th overall pick of the

. He signed a four-year rookie contract on May 11, 2015.

2015 season: Rookie year

On September 13, 2015, Crowder made his NFL debut against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

. On October 11, 2015, Crowder caught eight passes for 87 yards against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

in his first start. On November 15, 2015, Crowder caught his first touchdown, an eleven-yard reception from quarterback

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washington ...

, against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. On January 3, 2016, Crowder caught his second touchdown against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

, a three-yarder. Crowder also caught five passes for a career-high 109 yards, his first game with over 100 receiving yards. Crowder recorded his 59th reception of the season, breaking the team record for receptions by a rookie previously owned by Hall of Fame receiver

Art Monk James Arthur Monk (born December 5, 1957) is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He is considered by many NFL players, coaches and analysts ...

. Crowder finished the season with 59 receptions for 604 yards and two touchdowns.

2016 season

On September 18, 2016, Crowder caught his first touchdown of the season against the

, an eleven-yard reception. On September 25, 2016, Crowder caught four passes for 78 yards against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

, including a 55-yard touchdown, his second touchdown of the season. Crowder also recorded a 52-yard punt return. On October 9, 2016, against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, Crowder returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first Redskins player to do so since Santana Moss in 2008. For the play, Crowder was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, his first such award. On October 16, 2016, Crowder caught his fifth touchdown of his career against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, a sixteen-yarder. On October 23, 2016, Crowder caught seven passes for 108 yards against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

, his second 100+ yard game. On October 30, 2016, Crowder caught a career-high nine passes for 107 yards against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

, his third 100+ game. On November 13, 2016, Crowder caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

. Crowder reached the 100 career reception mark in just 25 games, the third fastest in franchise history outside of Gary Clark (22) and

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

(23). On November 20, 2016, Crowder caught three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

. The Redskins had two 100-yard receivers (Crowder and Pierre Garcon) and a 100-yard rusher ( Robert Kelley) in a single game for the first time since Week 1 of the 1999 season (

Michael Westbrook Michael Deanailo Westbrook (born July 7, 1972) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and is also a former mixed martial artist. Westbrook played college footba ...

Albert Connell Albert Gene Anthony Connell (born May 13, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League, and for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Foo ...

, and running back Stephen Davis against the

). The Redskins featured two 100-yard receiving performances in a single game for the first time since 2014 season ( Pierre Garcon and

Desean Jackson DeSean William Jackson (born December 1, 1986) is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, where he was recognized as a con ...

). It was Crowder's third straight game with a touchdown. Crowder recorded his fourth 100-yard game of his career. With Crowder's six touchdowns, he became the first Redskin to record at least six touchdowns in a season within the first two years of a career since 2009 ( Fred Davis). On November 24, 2016, Crowder caught eight passes for 88 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. On December 4, 2016, Crowder caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

. Crowder caught a 26-yard touchdown, his seventh touchdown of the season. Crowder finished the season with 67 receptions for 847 yards and seven touchdowns.

2017 season

During ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 2 ...

'' against the

in Week 12 on Thanksgiving Day, Crowder finished with 141 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Redskins won 20–10. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 66 receptions for 789 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

2018 season

In the 2018 season, Crowder recorded 29 receptions for 388 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in nine games.

New York Jets

2019 season

On March 15, 2019, Crowder signed a three-year, $28.5 million contract with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

with $17 million guaranteed. Crowder made his debut with the Jets in Week 1 against the

. In the game, Crowder caught 14 passes for 99 yards as the Jets lost 17-16. He tied

Al Toon Albert Lee Toon Jr. (born April 30, 1963) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. A two-time First-team All-Big Ten pick at the Universi ...

's franchise record for receptions in a game by a wide receiver. In Week 9 against the

, Crowder caught eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the 26–18 loss. This was Crowder's first touchdown of the season and as a member of the Jets. In the following week against the

, Crowder caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 34–27 win. In Week 15 against the

on ''

'', Crowder caught six passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns during the 42–21 loss. Overall, Crowder finished the 2019 season leading the team in all major receiving categories with 78 receptions for 833 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.

2020 season

During Week 1 against the

, Crowder finished with seven catches for 115 receiving yards, including a 69-yard touchdown as the Jets lost 17–27. In Week 4, against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

on ''Thursday Night Football'', he recorded seven receptions for 104 receiving yards in the 37–28 loss. During Week 5 against the

, Crowder finished with eight receptions for 116 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Jets lost 10–30. In Week 13, against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

, he had five receptions for 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 31–28 loss. In Week 16, against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

, he recorded his first career touchdown pass on a 43-yard trick play to Braxton Berrios in the 23–16 victory. In the 2020 season, Crowder finished with 59 receptions for 699 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.

2021 season

Crowder finished the 2021 season with 51 receptions for 447 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 12 games.

Buffalo Bills

On March 22, 2022, Crowder signed with the

on a one year deal. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 8, 2022.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Crowder has a younger brother named Jamaris who was born with

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual d ...

. Crowder graduated from Duke in December 2014 with a degree in sociology while minoring in African and African American studies.

References

External links

Buffalo Bills bio

Duke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder, Jamison 1993 births Living people People from Monroe, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina African-American players of American football American football return specialists American football wide receivers Duke Blue Devils football players Washington Redskins players New York Jets players Buffalo Bills players 21st-century African-American sportspeople