MIAMI (AP) — Jarvis Landry is leaving one bad offense for another one.
The Miami Dolphins have agreed to trade the Pro Bowl receiver to the Cleveland Browns for two draft picks, a person familiar with the deal said Friday.
The person confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because under NFL rules, no trades can be completed until Wednesday, the start of the league’s new year.
Miami finished sixth-worst in scoring last season and went 6-10. Cleveland finished last in scoring and went 0-16.
The Browns were desperate to land a playmaker such as Landry, who will complement former Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon. Landry has been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls and has 400 receptions, a record for a fourth-year player.
He signed a $16 million, one-year franchise tag Thursday with Miami, clearing the path for a trade. The Dolphins began shopping him when the parties were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract.
Landry made $894,000 last year, when he completed the four-year contract he signed as a rookie. He was by far the highest-profile Dolphins player eligible for free agency, and perhaps the best player on an offense that sputtered with quarterback Jay Cutler.
But his volatile personality became a concern for Miami. He was ejected in the fourth quarter of the season finale, a loss to Buffalo, and coach Adam Gase said the episode was embarrassing and “extremely bad.”
Miami’s passing attack in 2017 gave Landry a bizarre stat line: 112 receptions to lead the league and break his own franchise record, but an average of 8.8 yards per catch to rank 110th. He a career-high nine touchdowns but finished 13 yards shy of 1,000.
Cleveland is $113 million under the salary cap and was expected to seek an impact receiver in free agency. Acquiring Landry has likely changed those plans and the Browns can address a multitude of other needs.
Landry typically plays slot receiver, and the Browns have been disappointed with the production of former first-round draft pick Corey Coleman, who has been injured the past two seasons.
With 12 picks in this year’s draft, including the Nos. 1 and 4 overall and five in the first 64, the Browns had the ammunition to pull off a major deal for a major player.
Hue Jackson has handed his offense over to former Pittsburgh coordinator Todd Haley, who should know how to best use a player of Landry’s skill after coaching Antonio Brown the past few seasons.
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
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More AP NFL: http://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine
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The person confirmed the trade to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because under NFL rules, no trades can be completed until Wednesday, the start of the league’s new year.
Landry signed a $16 million, one-year franchise tag Thursday with Miami, clearing the path for a trade. The Dolphins began shopping him when the parties were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract.
Landry has been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls and has 400 receptions, a record for a fourth-year player. He led the NFL last year with 112 catches.
The Browns, who went 0-16 last season, were desperate to land a playmaker like Landry. He’ll be a perfect complement to former Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon and help and offense that struggled to score in 2017.
Landry just completed the four-year contract he signed as a rookie. He was by far the highest-profile Dolphins player eligible for free agency this year, and perhaps the best player on an offense that sputtered throughout 2017.
But his volatile personality became a concern last year for Miami. He was ejected in the fourth quarter of the season finale, a loss to Buffalo, and coach Adam Gase said the episode was embarrassing and “extremely bad.”
Miami’s dink passing attack in 2017 gave Landry a bizarre stat line: 112 receptions to lead the league and break his own franchise record, but an average of 8.8 yards per catch to rank 110th. He a career-high nine touchdowns but finished 13 yards shy of 1,000.
He has been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls and has 400 career receptions, a record for a fourth-year player.
Cleveland is $113 million under the salary cap and was expected to target an impact receiver in free agency, but acquiring Landry has likely changed those plans and the Browns can address a multitude of other needs.
Landry typically plays slot receiver and the Browns have been disappointed with the production of former first-round draft pick Corey Coleman, who has been injured the past two seasons.
With 12 picks in this year’s draft, including the Nos. 1 and 4 overall and five in the first 64, the Browns had the ability to pull off a major deal for a major player.
Landry instantaneously makes Cleveland better as he’ll make defenses honest. Hue Jackson has handed his offense over to former Pittsburgh coordinator Todd Haley, who knows how to best use a player of Landry’s skill after coaching Antonio Brown the past few seasons.
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
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More AP NFL: http://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine
