Did Landry’s Meltdown Hurt His Chances At Being Re-Signed?

Jimmy Bourbon

7 years ago

After Landry’s meltdown, did his chances of staying with Miami take a hit?

Have the chances of Landry being a Fin in 2017 gone down?

We all know the chaos that led to Jarvis Landry and Kenyan Drake getting ejected in Week 17 against the Bills. What we don’t know is, did this event negatively affect Landry’s chances of being part of the Dolphins future?

Coach Adam Gase, who normally defends his players, said, “This last game was probably the pinnacle of what I’ve ever seen with him during a game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it get to a level where it was extremely bad. But the last game was about as embarrassing as I’ve seen in a long time. It was something we can’t have happen.”

He clearly wasn’t a happy camper.

Of course not, it’s not at all far fetched to believe the penalty cost them the game. If it was just the one game, such is NFL football. But it wasn’t. Remember the Raiders game, 20-16, last minute fumble, we get the ball on their 48 and Williams runs for 30 yards. Except it didn’t count. Landry, on the far side, completely out of the play, got called for a totally unnecessary holding penalty. End of drive, effectively, end of game.

That’s at least two games that can legitimately be laid at Landry’s door for unnecessary penalties. Heaven forbid I should say anything except Landry is the phins’ only true franchise player. Yes, he’s an NFL record holder, a team leader, a spark-plug. He is also over-hyped. He’s the check down receiver on a team that constantly checks down. Lots of receptions, most for short yardage. There are some breakout yards after catch, but not enough to raise his average yards per catch even close to double digits. A true #1 WR produces double digits. That’s why you pay them. Enough on the stats, back to the behavior.

It could easily be said that Gase fueled this behavior with an environment that was too informal and player friendly, and Landry’s actions are just a symptom of a deeper issue.

While I think poor structure is obviously a problem in Miami that affects more than just Landry, these are grown men who make millions, and Landry has a history of lack of self control, on and off the field. Recall that he narrowly avoided a multi-game suspension this year over a domestic violence incident. There is a personal, not just professional aspect.

Landry is a fan favorite for a reason

I love Landry… guy is a special player. There’s no denying his talent. Whether he’s worth over $15-17 million a season, now that’s worthy of debate.

But either way, before and after the whistle is blown, he has shown serious flaws on and off the field. This weakness in self control will be tested often by opposing players going forward–if it isn’t being tested already. And it could spell doom for a future game that really matters, if he is retained.

That’s not what you want from your leaders; from the guy you’re seriously contemplating using your franchise tag on in order to keep him.

https://youtu.be/Yv8Q5pUDDxM

Landry’s display doesn’t give the appearance that he’s desperate to be back as a Fin

Yeah, Landry received a little extra business with a face mush. But it wasn’t the ‘threatening of his livelihood’ that he gave as an excuse. And there certainly wasn’t any reason to get thrown out of the game by insulting the refs.

It was stupid and selfish. Plain and simple.

Landry has always had an issue keeping his emotions in check and has had multiple unsportsmanlike penalties against him throughout the years. However, it’s that same fire and passion that makes him a vocal leader and the player he is on the field.

Personally, up until this point, I could live with these hiccups, because it’s an extension of his competitive nature. Even though he has made some boneheaded moves, he’s done so much more good for this team that it could be overlooked …for the right price, and if something like what happened in the Bills game never, ever happens again.

But did that last incident finally put the Dolphins Management over the brink and cause them to rethink Landry’s role in their future plans?

Landry is crucial, but team discipline is key

Most of the best football bookie software are betting that at the very least least, this didn’t help Landry in bargaining with prospective teams… Dolphins or otherwise. As for Miami, they already had some reservations about Landry given their reluctance in getting a contract done last season.

The absolute biggest issue with the Dolphins team is discipline. Landry is with out a doubt a leader, the most productive player on offense, and it’s heart and soul…

…but after watching that leadership contribute to a ruined comeback and help lead Drake into being ejected, is the FO willing to lock in serious money and commitment?

If they had reservations before, their trepidation must be even greater now.

Miami could offer Landry a fair and competitive contract to stay and see what happens. Maybe put some bonuses in his deal that would actually tie in to how many penalties he gets next year with clauses on ejections and such.

But given his display, is he really that determined to stay in Miami that he’d give a hometown discount? If you wanted a job desperately, would your last impression be a complete meltdown that hurts your employer, your teammates, your future with them? Who knows, maybe he’s trying to grease the wheels on his exit?

Miami could just stretch out Landry’s services for one more year

Last, Miami could put Landry in a holding pattern with a few options, to see what is what with his behavior:

We all know the well traveled ground of the non-exclusive Franchise Tag, so there’s no need to go over that. It will cost us ~15.3 mil for a one-year, clause free contract, that would cost any team that out bid us, TWO 1st round picks as compensation. If Miami can’t sign him before FA starts …and they really want to keep him, that’s the only certain way.

But what if they’d like to keep him but not at ~15+mil a year …but he won’t sign for less?

That’s where the “transition tag” comes in to play. Its cost is spread over an average of the top 10 WRs (vs top 5 for the franchise tag) and would result in a lower payout of ~ 14 mil, but if Miami refuses to match it, there would be no compensation from the signing team.

It currently looks like Miami wants to sign him at ~11 mil with performance clauses and Landry wants #1 WR money of 16 mil plus. The transition tag would be ~14 mil, a lower cost compromise that lets Landry test the market while the phins still retain right of first refusal. The downside is that its still more than they’d like to pay, its all guaranteed, no performance clauses, its only a one year contract …and they could lose him if he is right about his market value.

All of this hinges on the question …do they see Landry as ‘their type of guy’? Did this last outburst that shortly followed a screaming match with Gase act as the final straw? What do you Phinsnews Fans think about Landry getting a new deal?