No ‘discount’ for Landry
Agent says he awaits Miami’s reply to contract proposal, blasts criticism of WR.
Agent says the Dolphins WR wants to stay, but it’s salary that counts,
Jarvis Landry wants to stay with the Dolphins, but he does not plan to take any type of “discount” to do so, his agent told The Palm Beach Post on Wednesday.
“How long has this franchise been around?” Damarius Bilbo said. “It’s always going to be here. Take a discount? Absolutely not. This may be Jarvis’ first and last time to set himself and his family up. He needs to strike and strike while the iron is hot. Plenty of guys that were drafted ahead of Jarvis have not per- formed to his level. Look at Jarvis’ performance level. If you want to compare him to the T.Y. Hiltons and the Doug Baldwins, those deals were done two or three years ago.
“It’s his time now. He’s next man up.” Bilbo said he is waiting on the Dol- phins to respond to his contract proposal. Hilton makes $13 million per season, and Baldwin makes $11.5 million per season. But the most recent comparable is Green Bay’s Davante Adams, who will earn $14.5 million per season.
“You take a guy like Davante Adams, a second-round pick in that same draft class, and you know, I’m sure he wasn’t talking about a discount with a contender,” Bilbo said. “And Green Bay is every year a contender, with the best or one of the best quarterbacks in the
league. So to say a discount, I don’t think that exists. The Dolphins are a billion-dollar franchise. They’re going to be around. They’re going to make money. They’re going to continue to operate with or without Jarvis. But we do understand fair value, whether that be what Miami values or the market.”
The Dolphins may be headed toward a franchise or transition tag for Landry, as early as Feb. 20 or as late as March 6. In this case, Landry would earn about $16.5 million (franchise) or $14.2 million (transition) in 2018.
“That’s yet to be done,” Bilbo said. “It would be a step in the right direction. It would show they’re taking the most aggressive approach to keeping him there, I guess. And that’s something we still have some time to work out.”
Even if he is tagged, Landry and the Dolphins would still have until mid-July to work out a longterm deal.
But Bilbo said he is “alarmed” by some recent unattributed, published criticisms of Landry. Those criticisms include the idea Landry must work on controlling his emotions. Bilbo said he felt a need to respond to things he’s heard and read.
“Look, Jarvis is passionate and aggressive,” Bilbo said. “But every team needs a fighter who won’t lay down. That’s Jarvis. And that’s why some of the things I’m reading or hearing are alarming. The thing about football is you ask so much of these young men. I’m a former player. This is these guys’ dreams. Postseason. In season. Workouts. What they sacrificed. And, you know, they’re not supposed to be emotional? They’re not supposed to have feelings? When they go through this life-changing experience of, hey, I’ve done everything. I’ve seen these rosters go 90- to 75- to 53-man. They ask so much of these guys.”
Bilbo brought up the contrasting personalities of Jay Cutler, who has been criticized through his career for not showing enough emotion, as well as Ndamukong Suh, who at times has appeared to lose his cool.
“Look at Cutler with the Bears or Broncos, his demeanor, he’s not passionate enough, he’s not a leader because he had what wasn’t really emotional look,” Bilbo said. “Then you have Jarvis, who tips the scales and he’s super emotional and super high energy, because this is what he does, this is his time, to be that spark plug, to be
that gas, for the Miami Dolphins team. But then when somebody had their hand around his throat and he fights back, it’s a problem. It’s no different than when Suh was in Detroit. And you know there may have been an occasional body slam or too-rough stuff.
“It’s an emotional, it’s a physical, it’s a passionate game. If it weren’t, they wouldn’t have flags and penalties.”
Bilbo said Landry is working on his off-field leadership.
“Having an emotional, aggressive penalty, it’s a mistake and he has to be accountable, but you count it the same way as an interception or a missed assignment,” Bilbo said. “It’s something that none of these guys are perfect. They are still young men that are learning life lessons. And, you know, Jarvis is doing just that. He’s learning how to become a better leader; as he becomes a father, he’s learning how to battle those emotions.”
Bilbo is not discouraged by the free-agency process. He and Landry acknowledge it is a business.
“The team has the right to use their methods and to do what they think is best, if that is to wait it out or to tag him,” Bilbo said. “Mike Tannenbaum is a great guy. Adam Gase is a very passionate guy. Chris Grier is a very intelligent guy. They have everything they need to get this done. It’s been an open line of communication. It’s always been, ‘Call me,’ which is why it was shocking to me to see some negative anonymous comments made in the media. The timing is very interesting. But it’s a process.”
‘Look at [Jay] Cutler with the Bears or Broncos, his demeanor, he’s not passionate enough, he’s not a leader because he had what wasn’t really an emotional look. Then you have Jarvis, who tips the scales and he’s super emotional and super high energy, because this is what he does, this is his time, to be that spark plug, to be that gas, for the Miami Dolphins team.’
Damarius Bilbo
Jarvis Landry’s agent