The Browns are making sure one of their big-name acquisitions is around for the long haul -- but it won't come cheap.
Cleveland signed traded-for wideout Jarvis Landry to a five-year contract extension, the Browns announced Friday. Per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the contract is worth $75.5 million.
The massive payout comes packed with a stunning $47 million guaranteed, an unexpected mountain of cash for a slot receiver and roughly $9 million more in guarantees than Mike Evans netted from the Bucs.
You can bet this news just woke Odell Beckham out of bed.
"I'm excited for the journey with my new teammates and building, one day at a time, starting with the offseason program on Monday," Landry said in a statement. "Let's be great Cleveland."
The Brownsacquired Landry from the Dolphins last month in exchange for a 2018 fourth-rounder plus a seventh-round pick in 2019.
Landry was previously scheduled to play out the year under his $15.982 million franchise tag, but the Browns had hoped to work out an extension all along.
"Jarvis Landry is the type of football player we want on this team for a long time," general manager John Dorsey said in a statement. "Obviously, he's an accomplished playmaker, that's why we went after him in the trade but in his short time as a Brown we can already see the type of leadership and competitiveness he's going to bring to his teammates. We are very pleased that we've been able to secure him to a long-term contract."
Whether Landry is worth this kind of cash will certainly elicit strong opinions from self-styled Twitter hot-takers in the weeks and months to come. The Browns sit high atop the rest of the NFL with $70 million in cap space, but landed there through strict bookkeeping and a rash of jettisoned veteran contracts.
Dorsey has a reputation for big payouts, and only enforced that with this meaty contract for Landry, who led the NFL in catches last season but managed just 8.8 yards per reception, tied for 108th league-wide.
Landry is under pressure to deliver in a hurry for a Browns receiving group that has vastly underachieved under coach Hue Jackson. First-rounder Corey Coleman can't get out of his own way, while Josh Gordon's return -- which feels like a dream -- is still regarded with an eye of suspicion.
With Tyrod Taylor under center, the Browns finally have a quarterback boasting a dose of starting experience. Landry gives them something similar at wideout, but the cost is exorbitant.
Browns fans better hope Dorsey is on to something with this incredible contract.
