What is Channing Crowder worth? (2024)

I think it's clear that our earlier discussion of Channing Crowder sparked some debate. But I don't think I was able to say everything I wanted to about the topic - which brings me to this post.

While some may think I'm a "Channing Crowder hater," that's actually not true. I hope the Dolphins do bring him back - but at the right price. And from everything we are hearing, it seems like what I said before is accurate - that Channing thinks he's worth more than he really is. More importantly, I think the Dolphins' front office feels the same way - that Crowder isn't as valuable to the Dolphins as he likes to think.

That's not saying he's a bad player. He's a solid, above-average starting inside linebacker (who might be better suited to play outside linebacker in a 4-3, but that's a different debate). So that raises the question: what is Crowder worth in terms of money?

That's what I wanted to try and answer - though it's pretty much impossible to really answer. But, for the sake of argument, I've taken Crowder and 4 other linebackers - all of which play in various systems - and compared their stats. Crowder and Bradie James play in similar 3-4 defenses. Brian Urlacher plays in primarily a Tampa 2 system while Antonio Pierce and London Fletcher play in aggressive 4-3 defenses. Their stats are below:

And when you look at those numbers, keep in mind that Urlacher had his worst year as a pro - and still had more tackles for a loss and interceptions than Crowder.

But the point of this wasn't to "hate" on Channing. It's to help determine his worth in terms of dollars and cents. And while some will argue stats only tell half the story, production is the first key to being a good linebacker. Sure, "heart" and "fire" and all those intangible cliches sound nice. But what I want most from my starting inside linebackers is production.

Getting back to contracts, Urlacher leads the way - as he should - with a 5 year, $40 million contract. Sorry, Channing. You aren't worth $8 million per year.

London Fletcher, whose numbers are eerily similar to Crowder's - lots of tackles, not too much else - signed a 5 year, $25 million deal back in '07. Antonio Pierce is in the midst of a 6 year, $26 million deal.

But I wanted to talk about Bradie James for a second. Why? Because he plays a nearly identical role to that of Channing Crowder and he has a history with Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland in terms of his contract negotiations. James is currently in the midst of a 5 year, $20 million deal that he signed in '06. And to me, that's right around where Crowder should be looking to sign.

Let's take a look at each player's last 3 NFL seasons:

Bet you didn't see that coming. I know I didn't. But Bradie James has been a more productive linebacker over the past 3 seasons than Channing Crowder has - in similar systems, might I add. So here's my theory. I think that the Dolphins and their "lowball" offer is probably something similar to what James got from the Cowboys (5 yr, $20 mil) - with a little bump up. And Crowder probably saw that offer and laughed - because he perceives himself to be a better player than he is.

One final factor to highlight before we guess what Channing might be worth is this season's free agency class. At inside linebacker, there are 5 free agents that stand out above the others. Those are Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, Karlos Dansby, Jonathan Vilma, and Channing Crowder. Let's leave Ray Lewis out of this because all indications are he'll find some way to return to Baltimore. Here are the other four's 2008 stats:

So would it be fair to say that Crowder, at best, is the 4th best inside linebacker available on the open market? That's something you need to keep in mind when you try to come up with Channing's value.

With all that said, here's my take on this. I think a fair deal for Crowder, all things considered, would be a 5 year, $23 million deal - more than Bradie James and Antonio Pierce are making but less than London Fletcher and Brian Urlacher. And if push comes to shove and the Dolphins really do want him back, you could make a case for a 5 year, $25 deal - the same deal as Fletcher. But any more than $5 million per year for Crowder is outrageous.

And I'll assume he's going to want even more than that. If that's so, I think the Fins should say "goodbye" to Channing and open up their wallets more for Karlos Dansby. He's better than Crowder and it would make sense investing more money on an ILB if the player was Dansby rather than investing it in Crowder.

And, apparently, coming to play for the Dolphins is something Karlos has thought of - even as he prepares for the Super Bowl. On Tuesday, Dansby said:

"The free agent market is here, but this moment right here is about a lot of dreams in my career. [The Dolphins] definitely need a linebacker. My respect for Parcells is huge, man. Parcells came to me, I think it was my second year in the league, we're playing in Dallas and he told me I'm a heck of a player. That meant a lot for me coming from a legend like that. Definitely, I like South Beach.''

Karlos Dansby - come on down!

Your thoughts on any of the above ramblings below...