Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
It’s not personal
Landry learning NFL’s harsh business side.
DAVIE — Year 4 of a player’s career is usually when they discover that professional football is a busi- Hopefully Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry has learned that and acts accordingly.
The Dolphins are not Landry’s family.
The franchise won’t look out for him unless it benefits them somehow, and none of what the former LSU standout is going through trying to get a new contract after putting up three dynamic seasons should be viewed as personal, it’s just business.
Landry — who is in the final year of his rookie contract that will pay him $893,850 — has been the topic of trade rumors, with former NFL executive Michael Lombardi tweeting that the Dolphins would “seriness. ously listen” to offers for him.
The Dolphins have strongly denied that report.
“I told him there is no chance he’s being traded,”
head coach Adam Gase said after Monday’s practice.
Multiple league sources have told the Sun Sentinel that the Dolphins are not in active trade talks regarding Landry. The last time Miami fielded trade offers for Landry was before the draft, sources said, and those discussions went nowhere.
Miami’s decision makers aren’t seeking any offers for Landry. However, they’d be foolish to not listen to all the teams interested in trading for the two-time Pro Bowler.
Fans would be naive to think team czar Mike Tannenbaum, who is one of the most aggressive executives in the NFL when it comes to making moves, is hanging up the phone during any talks that involve Landry.
Do you seriously believe the Dolphins don’t want to know what teams they could potentially be competing with next offseason when bidding for Landry’s services?
Don’t get it twisted, Miami wants Landry around. But that doesn’t mean Miami is willing to pay Landry what he believes he’s worth now or in a year. That means the Dolphins could pull the trigger on an offer that features a top-60 draft pick, or an established starter with upside and a reasonable contract.
Landry wants to be paid as one of the NFL’s top-10 receivers, and he has set the Sept. 10 season opener as his deadline for negotiating a contract extension.
The Dolphins have not made a long-term offer to Landry. Team owner Steve Ross said the Dolphins aren’t in a rush to get a deal done, and downplayed Landry’s deadline, suggesting that the franchise tag could be used on the former LSU standout to keep him in Miami beyond 2017.
But if the Dolphins don’t extend Landry’s contract, he’ll likely become an unrestricted free agent after this season, because it would cost Miami $16 million to place the franchise tag on him.
The Dolphins, who have a little over $4 million in cap space available, are not in position extend Landry’s contract now, and they likely won’t be in position to use the franchise tag in 2018 because they already have $180 million committed to 61 players.
The Dolphins could use the transition tag, which would be slightly cheaper. But it wouldn’t prevent other teams from bidding on Landry, who will turn 25 in November.
Tannenbaum and general manager Chris Grier are taking the exact same chance of losing Landry that they did with Kenny Stills when he played out the final year of his contract last season before getting a four-year, $32 million deal from Miami, which features $16.95 million being fully guaranteed in the first two years.
In Stills’ case Miami was the highest bidder when state taxes entered the equation. There is no guarantee that will be the case for Landry, and I believe we’ll be looking at another homegrown talent leaving because of a bidding war, just like Olivier Vernon did.
Gase said what needed to be said to reassure Landry, and quiet the whispers inside the team’s locker room. But that doesn’t mean Miami is committed to Landry or not preparing to move on without him. That’s what good businessmen do.
Fans typically side with teams when it comes to contract disputes, and the salary shakedowns conducted annually.
Few tears will be shed for the two dozen or so veterans who will get cut this week, then re-signed after Week 2 just so teams can avoid having to guarantee their salary for an entire season.
That’s just business, but when a player plays hardball it’s not view that way.
Contracts in the NFL have little value once the guaranteed money has concluded, and NFL careers don’t last long. That’s why Landry, who has clearly outperformed his rookie deal, should of forced the issue when it came to getting a new deal.
Landry needed to play hardball with the Dolphins this offseason, letting the organization know he would consider holding out like Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. But he was committed to being a good leader and teammate, showed up to all of the offseason workouts, and was consistently a good ambassador for the Dolphins’ brand.
That didn’t work and we’ll soon learn if Miami’s decision makers resistance to giving Landry a new contract will put a sour taste in everyone’s mouth and poison that relationship.