Dolphins preparing for life after Jarvis Landry?

The Miami Dolphins made the playoffs in 2016 and appeared to be on the rise after a 10-6 record. Then the summer came and quarterback Ryan Tannehill blew out his knee. Jay Cutler came out of retirement, and Miami was never a factor in the AFC playoff push. Going into the offseason, the Dolphins’ front office should have a pretty clear plan of attack. The defense needs to be fixed. The offensive line could use some improvement, and wide receiver Jarvis Landry should be retained.

There is some thought within NFL circles that Landry isn’t worth top-dollar, and that’s fair. Despite leading the league in receptions this season with 112, Landry only posted 987 yards alongside nine touchdowns. For his career, Landry has twice eclipsed 100 catches in a year along with 1,000 yards in a campaign. At 25 years old, the former LSU is going to get paid handsomely by somebody coming off his rookie contract. If the Dolphins want to give Tannehill a good group of weapons to utilize, keeping Landry would be a worthwhile endeavour.

Still, it doesn’t seem like Miami has much interest in doing so. According to Landry, who says the negotiations haven’t gone well. Per ESPN:

“My agent and I talked about being a leader and setting a good example, so I silenced all those things by going to OTAs and training camp, by putting the team first and being a team guy,” Landry told the Herald.

“I feel like in the NFL, they preach loyalty and family and they have none for you. As a player, you see it’s not a family during negotiations, how it becomes them versus me or me versus them. That’s part of the NFL I believe the fans don’t see.”

Going into the winter, the Dolphins are projected to have only $9.7 million in cap space (per OverTheCap, fourth-least in the league. However, Miami can create ample room by releasing Julius Thomas and Stephen Anthony, combining to clear $8.1 million. However, having approximately $18 million isn’t enough to use the franchise tag, which would eat up almost that entire amount.

Free Agency

Miami has to make some hard decisions in the coming weeks. Perhaps including whether the services of Ja’Wuan James, Mike Pouncey and Cameron Wake are worth their current price tags. All are certainly important. Although would Jarvis Landry’s potential cap hit be worth saying goodbye to one of the aforementioned trio?

If Jarvis Landry does hit the free-agent market, he’s going to be elite wide receiver money. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see $15 million per year. The good news for the Dolphins? Only a handful of teams can afford that amount for a receiver, and maybe that keeps his price in a reasonable spot where they can do enough to retain him.

In a year where Le’Veon Bell, Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins could all potentially change teams, Landry is another name to watch come March.