News leaked earlier this week that the Miami Dolphinsare shoppingJarvis Landry despite placing the franchise tag on him last week.
On Saturday, Landry gave some insight as to why that might be the case.
In a 10-minute video titled "Juice," Landry explained that it's unlikely he plays on the one-year, approximately $16 million deal that the Dolphins' tag would come with. Which appears to be the reason the 'Fins would like to ship him off to a new team this offseason.
"The team decides to exercise the franchise tag. I'm considering not playing on it," the wide receiver said. "The franchise tag is not a good deal for me. In my case I've played four years. Then you get another year of basically not signing me to a long-term deal. In that year anything can happen. Look at guys like Ryan Shazier, who may not have an opportunity to play again.
"He's fighting a battle to just walk again. I'm at the point where taking care of my family is the most important thing for me. I put my body on the line for years. I've sacrificed my time and my life to make sure that I have this opportunity."
It's a tough situation for both parties. On Landry's side, he's logged 400 catches in his first four seasons, been a three-time Pro Bowl player and totaled up 4,038 receiving yards and 22 receiving touchdowns. He clearly deserves a hefty long-term deal.
On the Dolphins' side, Landry hasn't played at a top-five-wideout-in-the-NFL level, trailing receivers like Julio Jones (6,317, 23), Antonio Brown (6,349, 44), Odell Beckham (4,424, 38), A.J. Green (4,380, 28) and even Mike Evans (4,579, 32) in receiving yards and scores since Landry broke into the league in 2014.
Obviously, therein lies the rub. With the two sides appearing far apart on the numbers that a long-term deal should net, and with Landry threatening to sit out all of 2018 if the Dolphins don't give him the deal he wants, the likelihood of Landry playing in a different uniform next season grows more and more likely with the new league year approaching on March 14.
