The top wide receiver in this year’s free agent class is off of the table. The Dolphins will place the franchise tag on Jarvis Landry, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The official numbers are not out yet, but it is believed that the one-year tender will be worth approximately $16.23MM. The Dolphins have since confirmed the transaction via press release.
It’s a surprising turn of events considering the lack of fruitful negotiations between the two sides. For months, all indications have been that the Dolphins would not tag Landry, preferring instead to negotiate with him up until March and potentially allow him to explore the open market.
In December, Landry’s agent Damarius Bilbo asked the Dolphins for a contract worth roughly $14MM per year with $30MM in guarantees. It’s expected that he’ll enter the coming round of negotiations with a similar ask. The Dolphins, who are looking to preserve what limited cap space they have, will push back and potentially open up talks with Kenny Britt‘s four-year, $32MM deal from last offseason as a starting point.
The Dolphins like Landry, but the feeling is that a hefty multi-year deal for him could prevent them from locking up DeVante Parker down the line. Landry has topped 1,100 yards in two of his NFL seasons and nearly reached 1,000 yards this past season, but his yards per catch average dipped to a career low 8.8 per contest. Parker does not have a resume that comes close to Landry’s, but he possesses more potential as a deep threat. The Dolphins have Parker under contract through the 2018 season at a reasonable $3.46MM charge. After that, they can use the fifth-year option to control him through 2019.
Per league rules, the Dolphins have until July 16 to hammer out a long-term contract with Landry. Otherwise, Landry will play under the one-year deal and the two sides cannot resume negotiations until after the season.
It’s a surprising turn of events considering the lack of fruitful negotiations between the two sides. For months, all indications have been that the Dolphins would not tag Landry, preferring instead to negotiate with him up until March and potentially allow him to explore the open market.
In December, Landry’s agent Damarius Bilbo asked the Dolphins for a contract worth roughly $14MM per year with $30MM in guarantees. It’s expected that he’ll enter the coming round of negotiations with a similar ask. The Dolphins, who are looking to preserve what limited cap space they have, will push back and potentially open up talks with Kenny Britt‘s four-year, $32MM deal from last offseason as a starting point.
The Dolphins like Landry, but the feeling is that a hefty multi-year deal for him could prevent them from locking up DeVante Parker down the line. Landry has topped 1,100 yards in two of his NFL seasons and nearly reached 1,000 yards this past season, but his yards per catch average dipped to a career low 8.8 per contest. Parker does not have a resume that comes close to Landry’s, but he possesses more potential as a deep threat. The Dolphins have Parker under contract through the 2018 season at a reasonable $3.46MM charge. After that, they can use the fifth-year option to control him through 2019.
Per league rules, the Dolphins have until July 16 to hammer out a long-term contract with Landry. Otherwise, Landry will play under the one-year deal and the two sides cannot resume negotiations until after the season.
