Jarvis Landry

Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry Sets Deadline

Jarvis Landry won’t hold out in an effort to get a new deal, but he is drawing a line somewhere. The agent for the Dolphins wide receiver says that he will not engage in contract talks after the season opener. Jarvis Landry (vertical)

We want to respect the Dolphins. When the season kicks off, we want to continue to respect that,” agent Damarius Bilbo told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “We don’t want every game to be about a new contract. This is not a tactic; that is not an approach. This is who Jarvis is and what he wants out of the upcoming season.”

Bilbo added that Landry would love to spend the rest of his career as a Dolphin. And, while he would like to sign an extension this summer, he “understands the business aspect” and won’t rock the boat if he doesn’t get what he wants on the timeline that he wants.

At the moment, it sounds like the two sides have a long way to go before a new deal can get hammered out. While the Dolphins have internally discussed the idea of extending Landry, Bilbo says that he has not discussed money with team brass yet. As of this writing, Landry is slated to play out the 2017 season for less than $894K.

Jackson speculates that Bilbo may seek a deal that puts him in the top 10-12 range for wide receivers in the NFL, though the agent did not say that personally. That range would give Landry an average annual salary above $11MM.

No NFL player in league history has caught more passes in his first three years in the league than Landry. The 24-year-old (25 in November) caught 288 passes from 2014-16.

AFC Notes: Broncos, Browns, Fins, Jets

Broncos second-year safety Will Parks is facing two misdemeanor charges stemming from a March 31 arrest, reports Mike Klis of 9News. Parks, charged with harassment and non-violent domestic violence, has a court date in Brighton, Colo., on June 30. His ex-girlfriend told police that Parks started making threats against her because he believed she stole his social security card, birth certificate, football rings and football jerseys. Parks claims he never threatened her, but she nonetheless filed a restraining order against him. The Broncos knew about Parks’ arrest before it became public knowledge, the team informed Klis. “We became aware of the issue involving Will Parks immediately after it occurred in April,” stated the club. “It was promptly reported to the league office and we are continuing to monitor the matter.” The NFL is currently determining whether Parks violated its personal conduct policy, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.

More from the AFC:

  • Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler has emerged as a serious candidate to start Week 1 because he has exceeded head coach Hue Jackson‘s expectations since joining the team via trade in March, relays Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Osweiler’s performance last year in Houston was ugly, and he even came with behind-the-scenes concerns that led to wariness from Jackson. But Osweiler “has been outstanding in our building, and that’s what’s most important,” noted Jackson, who has teamed with quarterbacks coach David Lee to help tighten up the 6-foot-8, 235-pounder’s delivery. “I told him this yesterday — I went back and watched a little bit of film of him from last year, and he looks much better right now,” said Jackson. “He’s more compact. He’s throwing the ball with a lot more velocity. He’s doing a lot of good things.”
  • The Dolphins and wide receiver Jarvis Landry have discussed a contract extension, but the talks haven’t gotten serious, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. “We’ve talked back and forth but there’s nothing really going on,” said Landry. “We’re just really focusing on right now today.” Landry has no plans to hold out as he enters the last year of his rookie contract, per the Miami Herald’s Adam H. Beasley, who expects him to sign a deal worth upward of $12MM per annum at some point. As Beasley notes, no NFLer has caught more passes in his first three years in the league than Landry, who hauled in 288 from 2014-16.
  • The Jets traded safety Calvin Pryor to Cleveland on Thursday in part because they wanted him out of their locker room, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. There was a belief within the organization that Pryor “had an inflated opinion of himself” and didn’t buy into head coach Todd Bowles program, per Cimini.

Dolphins Notes: Landry, Pouncey, Jones

Although the Dolphins plan to offer an extension with wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the club has yet to begin talks with Landry or indicated when such discussions might occur, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Landry, however, is handling the situation well, per Jackson, and may have helped his case by showing up for workouts earlier this week. Fellow Miami wideout Kenny Stills landed a four-year, $32MM deal on the first day of free agency, and Landry figures to eclipse that total. After averaging 96 receptions and 1,017 yards during his first three NFL seasons, Landy could theoretically target the recent deals inked by Doug Baldwin and Keenan Allen, each of which pays north of $11MM annually.

Here’s more from Miami:

  • The Dolphins are cognizant of the need to find a backup plan to center Mike Pouncey, who has dealt with nagging hip injuries in recent years, per Jackson. Pouncey doesn’t believe the issue is career-threatening, but he did miss 11 games during the 2016 season, and Miami is aware it needs to be prepared if Pouncey is sidelined again in 2017. With that in mind, the Dolphins recently put Baylor center Kyle Fuller (not to be confused with the Bears cornerback of the same name) through a workout. Indiana guard Dan Feeney has also met with the Dolphins, and could conceivably be an option at the pivot. At present, second-year pro Anthony Steen — who started seven contests last season — is Pouncey’s direct backup.
  • Safety Reshad Jonesextension with the Dolphins actually covers only a four-year term, not five years as had been previously reported, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap indicates. The deal has a base value of $48MM, and contains $19.885MM in full guarantees. The guarantee money is comprised of a $9MM signing bonus and Jones’ 2017 and 2018 base salaries, per Fitzgerald. Another ~$13MM is guaranteed for injury only, and will fully guarantee on the third day of the 2018 and 2019 league years.
  • In case you missed it, the Dolphins “love” Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp and Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett. Miami was expected to target edge defenders and guards in the draft, so both Lamp and Barnett will fill needs for the club. Both Lamp and Barnett are considered Round 1 prospects, and both could be available when the Dolphins pick at No. 22 (of course, the possibility exists that both are already off the board, as well).

AFC Notes: Raiders, Dolphins, Jaguars

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr isn’t signed beyond next season, but it doesn’t appear he’ll go into 2017 without long-term security. Carr’s agent, Tim Younger, and Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie have been discussing an extension “for months,” Carr told reporters Monday. Those talks have been “super positive,” added Carr, who hopes a deal comes together by training camp (Twitter links via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Carr, who tossed 28 touchdowns and six interceptions last season to help the Raiders break their 14-year playoff drought, is in line to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid signal-callers.

More from Oakland and two other AFC cities:

  • The fact that wide receiver Jarvis Landry was on hand for the start of the Dolphins’ voluntary program Monday bodes well for his chances of receiving an extension because it shows that he’s committed to the team, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins entered the offseason planning to extend Landry, and Salguero relays that his agent and the club have since spoken “at least a dozen times on the matter.” A new deal would make the 24-year-old Landry the Dolphins’ richest wideout – surpassing Kenny Stills‘ four-year, $32MM contract ($20MM guaranteed) – and could materialize by June, per Salguero.
  • Newly acquired Jaguars left tackle Branden Albert is holding out of team activities in hopes of landing a new contract, but Joel Corry of CBS Sports doubts he’ll stay away for much longer. Albert would lose $40K for each day of training camp missed, and the Jaguars will have the ability to recoup his signing bonus if his holdout lasts long enough. Should Jacksonville trade Albert, the acquiring team would receive those recoupment rights (Twitter links).
  • Houston edge rusher Tyus Bowser is currently visiting the Raiders, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Bowser, who racked up 22.5 sacks during his 43-game college career, could pique the Raiders’ interest in the first round, in which they’re slated to pick 24th.
  • The Jaguars hosted Temple edge defender Haason Reddick on Monday, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who wonders if Reddick’s stock has risen enough that he could be a top five pick. Jacksonville’s set to select fourth overall, though it could simply be doing its due diligence on Reddick and hoping he falls to No. 35 (the Jags’ second-rounder).

AFC Notes: Fins, Jets, Bills, Colts

The Dolphins intend to keep core offensive players together through 2020, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. That group includes quarterback Ryan Tannehill and starting receivers Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, and DeVante Parker. The Dolphins already have Tannehill and Stills locked down and they can effectively say the same for Parker thanks to his fifth-year option and the franchise tag. That just leaves Landry, who is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2017 season.

More from the AFC:

  • The Jets are holding a private workout Thursday for North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gang Green has three quarterbacks on its roster – Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty – but head coach Todd Bowles indicated Wednesday that the club could select one with the sixth pick. Trubisky might come into play there.
  • The idea that the Bills are preparing to part with general manager Doug Whaley is “erroneous,” owner Terry Pegula told reporters Wednesday (via Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle). Pegula also dismissed the notion that there’s discord between Whaley and rookie head coach Sean McDermott, pointing to their mutual decision to keep quarterback Tyrod Taylor as evidence that they’re in lockstep. “That was Doug and Sean working very diligently, digging up everything, directions we could go and what not and the decision was unanimous that we bring Tyrod back with the new contract and we’re all happy with that,” he said.
  • At its core, the Dwayne Allen trade was about accountability for the Colts, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes, but there was more to it. Allen didn’t always live up to his contract, but beyond that, dealing him to the Patriots was also about creating more opportunities for tight ends Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope. “Look, Dwayne Allen was a great pro and a good guy,” GM Chris Ballard said. “That was a really hard decision to make because he’s a great person. But sometimes to let a player take another step, you have to move on from a guy. And I think Swoope’s got a lot of talent. We’ll see. I thought we saw signs of progression last year that were exciting to see. He’s got to take another step. And we’ll see if he does it or not.”
  • Speaking of the Colts, they “will not be timid about moving around in the draft,” according to Ballard, who doesn’t believe the team has enough picks. The Colts are slated to pick seven times, including 15th overall, and “wouldn’t hesitate to trade down” because “that would be something that we think could really benefit us,” Ballard told Kevin Bowen of the team’s website.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Bouye, Landry, Marshall, Mixon

A.J. Bouye‘s staggering rise from unknown RFA to one of the most coveted UFAs on this year’s market did not come completely unbeknownst to the Texans. Houston offered its undrafted gem a multiyear contract in 2016 at a “significant raise,” but Bouye opted to bet on himself, Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports. Bouye signed the low-end RFA tender last March, worth $1.67MM, setting up his dominant breakout campaign. His market is set to be north of $12MM per year as Day 2 of the legal tampering period gets underway, and while the Texans are in on it, they could lose him to a division rival.

Here’s more from around the league with free agency barely a day away.

  • The Dolphins have received trade inquiries on wide receiver Jarvis Landry, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. However, the team has no real interest in trading him. Late in their 2016 season, the Dolphins were working on an extension plan for their slot target, so it’s a good bet the team’s most consistent weapon stays in Miami. The two-time Pro Bowl wideout has posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons, doing so in two different schemes.
  • The prospect of staying in New York would on the surface allow Brandon Marshall to continue being a rare in-season media regular, but Judy Battista of NFL.com notes (on Twitter) the Giants and Jets’ schedules aren’t structured equally. Inside the NFL tapes on Tuesdays, when many teams give their players off days, but Battista points out the Giants work on Tuesdays. This might not be a deal-breaker, though, with Marshall having established himself on the long-running weekly show the past two years and signing with the only other team that would keep him in the city.
  • Between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is set to meet with 24 teams in total as a part of his pro day gauntlet, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Mixon met with the Bengals, Browns, Lions and Saints on Tuesday night, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (via Twitter), in advance of what will be a critical showcase for the controversial running back.
  • Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. A converted basketball player, Harris saw his role increase last season. The third-year pass-catcher saw 476 snaps and caught 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, but Pro Football Focus graded him as its worst full-time tight end.
  • Chris Banjo‘s two-year deal with the Saints will pay him $2.6MM with another $500K available through incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.

Fins Prioritizing Kenny Stills, Andre Branch

Free agency is looming for wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive end Andre Branch, but the Dolphins are going to work hard to lock the two up before March. The club will meet with the representatives for both players at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week in an attempt to set “a baseline starting point in negotiations,” according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Kenny Stills[RELATED: Surgery For Ryan Tannehill?]

“We want to keep our own,” executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum said. “We’re never going to bat a thousand. The system just is not set up for it. We’ve been able to extend some players before I started — some like Mike Pouncey or Ryan Tannehill we were able to do — but candidly, you can’t keep them all. We understand that and acknowledge that.

Both Stills and Branch are coming off productive seasons, and each has professed a “love” for the Dolphins since the team’s season ended. In the first 16-start campaign of his four-year career, Stills, 24, averaged a club-high 17.3 yards per catch on 42 receptions and also led the Dolphins in touchdown grabs (nine). The 27-year-old Branch set a career high in starts (11) and posted 5.5 sacks – his second-best total since entering the NFL in 2012 – after inking a modest free agent deal to leave Jacksonville last March.

On Stills, who joined the Dolphins in a 2015 trade with the Saints, general manager Chris Grier stated: “It’s important for us to bring him back. We’d like to have him back. It’s his right to test the market and see what he can get, but we’d like to have him back.”

As with Stills and Branch, the Dolphins would like to re-sign soon-to-be free agent tight end Dion Sims, reports Salguero. Sims is less of a priority than Stills and Branch, however, and it’s unclear if his reps will meet with the Dolphins in Mobile. The 25-year-old logged personal bests in receptions (26) and TDs (four) during his 14-game 2016. He averaged under 10 yards per catch, though, leading to the possibility that the Dolphins could look for a better playmaking tight end this offseason.

In danger of losing each of Stills, Branch and Sims within the next couple months, the Dolphins aren’t yet focusing on extensions for wideout Jarvis Landry or safety Reshad Jones, per Salguero. Those two cornerstones are already under contract for next season, so there’s less urgency for Miami to determine their futures. While Salguero expects the Dolphins to ultimately ink Landry and Jones to new deals, talks haven’t yet begun. Indeed, Grier revealed Wednesday that “we’ll worry about the guys right now with the immediate free agents and then we’ll start working towards the guys that are still under contract.”

Dolphins Plan To Extend Jarvis Landry

The Dolphins’ most consistent receiver during the middle portion of this decade, Jarvis Landry looks to be a candidate to sign an extension during the offseason.

Landry is finishing up the third season of his four-year rookie contract, one that does not contain a fifth-year option since he arrived as a second-round pick as part of a deep 2014 receiver class, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes the Dolphins are going to allocate money for an extension for their slot receiver.

Miami won’t do any extensions until after the season, per Jackson. But the team will be carrying over some additional cap room from 2016 — which will inflate the total of space in 2017 to at least $36MM, Jackson notes — to aid in re-up talks.

This offseason brought a domino effect for second-tier wide receiver extensions, with Allen Hurns, Keenan Allen, Doug Baldwin, Tavon Austin and Emmanuel Sanders inking new deals, but next year could bring a summer more in line with what occurred in 2015 — when several top-flight wideouts (Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas) signed re-ups with the franchises that drafted them in the first round.

Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, Landry and others will be extension-eligible after the season, and the results for a couple of those targets could well raise the receiver AAV ceiling Green ($15MM per year) currently occupies. Landry won’t command the same kind of deal Beckham or Evans will, but the Dolphins’ inside chain-mover stands to be in position for an eight-figure-per-year deal once talks commence due to the combination of age (24), production and the salary cap being set to rise near $170MM. The LSU product is on pace for a second consecutive 1,000-yard season, sitting at 820 yards on 75 receptions.

He might not match his 110-catch standard of 2015, but Landry’s proven to be a key component in Adam Gase‘s offense. Landry will make $893K next season. Miami’s young core of receivers mostly enters the offseason under contract, but Kenny Stills will be a UFA after this year. DeVante Parker and Stills boast 583 and 501 air yards, respectively, this season.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Landry, Dolphins

Using his player-values metric, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has provided the most 2015 value through the season’s first five weeks, among QBs. While Tyrod Taylor of the Bills ranks just 10th for overall value, he has a cap hit below $1MM, making him even more valuable — no signal-caller has a wider gap so far between his cap charge and his actual value than the ex-Raven, according to Fitzgerald.

Here are a few more items from out of the AFC East:

  • There has been some speculation that, with Taylor hurting, the Bills may regret having traded Matt Cassel. However, head coach Rex Ryan said today that the decision to send the veteran quarterback to Dallas reflected the confidence Buffalo has in Taylor and EJ Manuel. For what it’s worth, Ryan added that there’s no official word yet on Taylor’s availability for Week 6 (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
  • General manager Doug Whaley has supported Manuel throughout his time with the Bills, and the GM also signed off on the Cassel trade, prompting Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) to wonder if Whaley could be the “fall guy” if Manuel is forced into action and struggles.
  • The Dolphins are somewhat concerned with Jarvis Landry‘s repeated conduct issues this year, according to Cole (video link). New head coach Dan Campbell will be tasked with improving Landry’s focus, after the wideout got into a fight during practice with ex-Dolphin LaMichael James and was fined $23K+ for berating an official.
  • Appearing on 790 The Ticket on Tuesday, Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum denied that he wanted to fire Joe Philbin and hire Dan Quinn after he was hired last winter, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald details. “I knew Coach Philbin was on the precipice of being announced with a long-term extension,” Tannenbaum said. “I knew about it and supported it at the time. I was offered the job with one set of circumstances, which was to work with [GM] Dennis Hickey and Joe Philbin.”

Friday Roundup: Bears, Raiders, Dolphins

To put it mildly, the Bears’ defense struggled last season — they allowed the second-most points and the third-most total yardage in the NFL on the way to finishing 25th in defensive DVOA. But rather than choosing between rebuilding or entering “win-now” mode, Chicago has melded the two approaches as it seeks to revamp its defensive unit, according to John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. During general manager Phil Emery’s tenure, the Bears have focused on defense during the first four rounds of the draft, selecting three linebackers, two defensive tackles, a cornerback, and two safeties in the three-year span. But the team also made several additions this offseason, including Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and the recently-signed Adrian Wilson. Emery’s fusing of two divergent strategies may ensure that the Bears will remain competitive while they continue to stockpile young talent that can contribute in the future.

More assorted notes from around the league:

  • The vote regarding the 10-year lease deal between MLB’s Athletics and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority (which operates O.co Coliseum) was cancelled today after four members of the Authority boycotted the meeting, reports Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle. As we noted yesterday, any complication of the deal is good news for the Raiders, who want to build a new stadium where the current Coliseum is located.
  • Some Dolphins’ decision-makers would like to make Marcus Thigpen expendable by having rookie Jarvis Landry take over punt-return duties, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. But offensive coordinator Bill Lazor likes Thigpen, so he’s likely to stick on the 53-man roster.
  • Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com takes an early guess as to the Cardinals’ starting offense, and there are several positions up for grabs, including tight end, right guard, and right tackle.
  • If Josh Gordon‘s suspension stands, the Browns will have to rely even more on Jordan Cameron and the rest of their tight end group; with that in mind, ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon takes a overview of the unit.
  • The Cowboys’ offensive line is shaping up to be one of the better front fives in the league, and David Moore of the Dallas Morning News zeroes in on the right guard position. First-rounder Zack Martin will start, and Dallas enjoys enviable depth with veteran Mackenzy Bernadeau backing up the rookie.