Landry Divorce: Wringing Out A Little Juice

If a Landry trade was in the Phins plans, it should have happened last year

Landry brought juice to the Dolphins bland offense for 4 years

As of Friday, Jarvis Landry is a Cleveland Brown. In return for the trade, Miami received a 2018 4th Rd Pick and 2019 7th Rd Pick as compensation. At face value, the picks don’t even cover what Landry was drafted for. So Miami does end up the loser in regards to compensation. But this trade must be looked at in its totality to gauge the situation clearly.

Juice was an on-the-field dynamo with record-setting production. His rare intensity made him a fan favorite–without a doubt, I will greatly miss seeing him in aqua.

While these superlatives are all true, in the end, Miami did about the best they could given the situation… one that they created, of course.

Yet, while it’s en vogue to trash the Dolphins (and maybe accurate), they aren’t the sole script writer for this ending. Landry has his share of responsibly for how this turned out. He wanted a boat-load of dough–maybe too much, to which every team interested blanched at his numbers. Even the Browns, who are loaded with CAP space, preferred to trade for him as a one-year rent, rather than meet Landry’s demands–ATM. That’s a red flag for sure. Without a doubt, some of Landry’s antics, along with concerns about paying a “slot” like a #1, played into the equation. Miami moved on and not even the Browns are jumping to give Landry a long-term deal.

While Landry was a rare 2nd Round gem for the Phins, he had flaws

David Hyde refreshed my memory yesterday on the 2016 incident where Landry had to be kicked off the practice field mid-season for arguing with Ryan Tannehill. Add in his 2017 back and forth with Gase and the Bills ‘Mount Vesuvius meltdown’, and you have a trend of friction with authority. This trend gives GM’s the cherry on top of their concern about giving an incentive-laden, mega-contract making Landry one of the top-paid wides in the NFL. Not saying this trend is definitive, but it’s undeniably a trend.

Ultimately though, a day late and dollar short best describes this whole fiasco. The Ravens made an offer to trade for Landry last year. Mike Tannenbaum thought it didn’t bring enough value. The offer was never made public, but I’d sure make a bet with a per head sportsbook that it was a better deal than what they received from the Browns.

While I hate to see Landry go to another team, it’s even more troubling to see the Dolphins brass late on their evaluation of their players… again. In the NFL it’s the quick and the dead. But only the future can be changed as the deal’s done and in the books. Crying over spilled milk is worthless. Now the most important factor is, can this regime pull it’s fat out of the fire? Can the Davie Trifecta use the extra CAP space and the picks to make amends? There will be more skeptics today than a couple of days ago.

The Dolphins ‘Landry divorce’ was a foregone conclusion for sometime

But fans must remember, putting aside past mistakes and emotion, the reality is, this was the best the Phins FO could do under the present circumstances. At the very least, it’s far better than the nothing Miami would have received if Landry walked this year or next. And don’t fool yourself, he was walking 100%. Both the Dolphins and Landry were at an impasse. It would likely have been uglier this year than last if there wasn’t a divorce. That tag could have easily ended up a noose for Gase and this regime. Of course, many may feel that would be a better end.

But even if things went well in their last dance together, Miami simply couldn’t afford him at the $16 million the Franchise Tag cost. It’s evident he was never going to accept the Dolphins long-term offer–ever. That’s a rock and a hard place. The fact that the Ravens wouldn’t consider Landry’s demands is strong support that our FO isn’t completely off-base. Ozzie Newsome has been one of the best GM’s in the NFL for a long time.  If he didn’t pull the trigger, then the Phins brass isn’t completely clueless. Only time will reveal the truth.

A big 2018 storyline will be Landry V.S. the FO’s actions in FA and the Draft

This situation could have a far better ending IF (ugly, ugly word) they make good use of the chips gained by Landry’s departure. If this trade didn’t happen now, Miami would have been cut out of the FA market. Given the Dolphins use of their ‘big spends’ the last 2 seasons, that might not be all bad. The skeptic in me might say that having Landry will be better than the FO going fish. We’ll see if the skeptic is correct soon enough. But again, the past only hints at the future, it doesn’t predict it. Maybe they spend wisely this season.

In my crystal ball, IF (ugly, ugly word) they can reel in Panther Free Agent Andrew Norwell they’ll end up a winner. Swapping one mid-twenties star for another would go a long way towards redemption in my book. But that’s obviously a long shot.

Am I confident that all will turn out peachy? Hell no. Am I certain that this nose dives into a concrete basement season? Hell no. But man, this is sure feeling like another Dolphins regime in the ‘prove it or lose it’ moment of their destiny. As much as I love Landry, he’s not bigger than the logo. So, GO PHINS!!!