Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry Signs Franchise Tender
Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry signed his franchise tender on Thursday morning, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Landry is now under contract with the team for the 2018 season, but he’s unlikely to stay put for long. 
There was some dispute over whether Landry’s signature on the tender actually mattered. Popular thought was that Landry could not be dealt until he actually inked his one-year, $16MM+ tender. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of PFT reported that Landry has been trade eligible ever since “accepting” the tender, even without adding his signature.
In any case, we now know for certain that Landry can be moved and his signing of the tender could be a sign that a trade has been agreed upon. Where might he land? Several teams have interest in the slot receiver, but only a few of those clubs have the cap room to take him on and give him the long-term pact that he seeks. So far the Bears and Ravens have been linked to Landry. The Panthers, who could use some help at WR, reportedly are not among the clubs in the Landry chase.
Landry, 25, is thought to be seeking a $14MM annual salary and $30MM in guarantees on his next contract. Any team acquiring Landry will likely hammer out an extension with him before pulling the trigger on a trade.
Dolphins Notes: Landry, Dickson
Although Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry hasn’t formally signed his franchise tag, he has “accepted” the tender, which is an equal action in the eyes of the NFL, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Not only does that mean Miami cannot now rescind the tag, but Landry can be traded if the Dolphins find an acceptable deal. Landry, meanwhile, is sticking to his asking price of $14MM annually, but at least one of the clubs with interest in Landry believe he’s a $10MM/year player, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Thus far, both the Bears and Ravens, two of the more receiver-needy teams in the league, have reportedly been linked to a Landry trade.
- The Dolphins are interested in Panthers free agent tight end Ed Dickson, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Dickson, 30, didn’t play a large receiving role during his first three years with Carolina, but an injury to starting tight end Greg Olsen allowed Dickson to play on 80% of Carolina’s offensive plays last season. While he wasn’t a world-beater, Dickson did manage 437 yards and a touchdown, solid numbers considering he’d managed just 370 receiving yards from 2014-16. Miami, who is expected to release tight end Julius Thomas, is the second team to be linked to Dickson, joining the Falcons.
Extra Points: Bears, Fuller, Seahawks
No surprise here, but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune hears that the Bears are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Kyle Fuller. Multiple sources tell Biggs that they do not expect the franchise tag to be employed, though he is less certain about whether the transition tag could be in play. It also seems unlikely that Fuller would sign a multi-year contract with the Bears before free agency opens, but there is interest on both sides in moving forward together.
Here’s more from around the NFL on a very busy Monday:
- The Seahawks had open ears at the draft combine last week, sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Among those drawing interest include defensive tackle Michael Bennett and safety Earl Thomas, two players that have been the subject of trade speculation in recent weeks. Over the weekend, it was reported that the Falcons have discussed a Bennett deal with Seattle. Cornerback Richard Sherman, who has a $13.2MM cap charge in 2018, is also a trade candidate.
- The Panthers, Jaguars, and Dolphins are heavily interested in free agent quarterback market, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) hears. The Panthers obviously have a starter in Cam Newton, but they are seeking a quality backup because Newton tends to take a lot of hits. The Jaguars and Dolphins have starters in Blake Bortles and Ryan Tannehill, respectively, but both clubs want veteran backups that can push them. The Dolphins are also exploring the idea of drafting a QB at No. 11 overall.
- Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the subject of tremendous debate in football circles, particularly due to questions about his ability to play QB at the next level. He may have another problem. Jackson did not do well in interviews and white-board work at the combine, Volin hears (Twitter link) and his decision to go without an agent may be the culprit.
- The Bills‘ one-year contract with cornerback Vontae Davis includes an unusual wrinkle, as noted by Volin (on Twitter). Davis is slated to receive a roster bonus of nearly $47K for each game he spends on the 46-man active roster. Meanwhile, he’ll receive a lesser bonus of almost $16K per game that he spends on the 53-man roster. It’s unique for a contract to have separate bonuses for appearing on the 53 and the 46 each week, but it’s a creative structure for Buffalo given Davis’ injury history. One has to wonder if other teams could follow a similar blueprint this offseason when signing veterans with health concerns.
Peter King On Browns, McCarron, Tannehill
Here’s the latest from Peter King of The MMQB:
- The Browns have four picks in the top 35 of this year’s draft, but coach Hue Jackson is still pushing for the team to acquire A.J. McCarron, King hears. If the team does go for McCarron in March, the plan would be for the team to also draft a rookie quarterback to be groomed behind him. The Browns, of course, nearly landed McCarron before last year’s trade deadline before a paperwork snag tanked the deal. One has to wonder if McCarron would be skeptical about the Browns’ level of commitment to him in such a scenario, particularly after seeing how Mike Glennon‘s arrangement worked out with the Bears. Then again, McCarron might be faced with a similar scenario with any team that shows interest him.
- It has been said that the Dolphins are committed to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, but King is not convinced after speaking with executives at the combine. Miami is look at QBs at No. 11 overall and several people who spoke with King believe they’ll select a signal caller there. Tannehill has missed the last 19 Dolphins games with back-to-back ACL tears.
- After speaking with several GMs, scouts, and coaches, this is King’s rough consensus for the top ten player’s in the draft: Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, USC quarterback Sam Darnold, North Carolina State edge rusher Bradley Chubb, Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.
Latest On Jarvis Landry, Ndamukong Suh
Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry is expected to sign his franchise tender shortly, and once that happens, he and the team will continue to work together to facilitate a trade. However, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Miami’s asking price in a Landry trade is still unclear, and he says the earlier rumor that the Bears could trade Jordan Howard to the Dolphins in exchange for Landry — a rumor that was subsequently shot down — sounded like a report that Miami planted in order to generate offers. If that was the case, the strategy did not work, as the trade market remains at a standstill. Robinson suggests (via Twitter) that Landry could return to Miami in 2018, but the team will continue to look for the right trade offer.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the Dolphins‘ recent agreement to trade for Robert Quinn is further evidence of his belief that the team is looking to move on from Ndamukong Suh (even though the two play different positions on the defensive line). Other reports have indicated that Miami wants Suh back in 2018, but the club could approach the mercurial DT about a restructure to help reduce his massive cap number.
Jarvis Landry To Accept Franchise Tag
Jarvis Landry is about to become one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins wide receiver will accept the franchise tag, and he described the impending signing as imminent. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that Landry is expected to sign next week, and he adds that both sides are working toward a trade.
We heard back in February that the Dolphins were going to franchise their top receiver. The deal will lock the wideout into a $16.23MM contract in 2018. The corresponding cap hit would rank fourth among wide receivers, behind only Antonio Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, and Dez Bryant.
Of course, it’s unlikely that Landry will be on Miami’s books in 2018. There were previous reports that the team could be shopping the receiver, and we learned this week that the Dolphins have allowed Landry to “seek and facilitate” a trade. Landry and his agent would presumably be seeking a long-term contract from any interested team, as few teams would have interest in the wideout on his one-year deal. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald previously projected that the Dolphins should expect to receive a third-round pick, a late second-round pick, or a player in return for Landry. We heard that the Bears could be a potential suitor, and there was some buzz around a Landry-for-Jordan Howard swap earlier today (those reports were quickly shot down). The Panthers and Saints reportedly don’t have interest.
After two straight 1,000-yard campaigns, Landry finished the 2017 season with 987 receiving yards. The 25-year-old did compile a league-leading 112 receptions and a career-high nine receiving touchdowns, earning him his third-straight Pro Bowl nod.
Rams To Trade Robert Quinn To Dolphins
The Rams have agreed to another big trade. They are going to ship Robert Quinn to the Dolphins in exchange for a mid-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links).
The Rams discussed dealing the eighth-year edge defender to the Chiefs for Marcus Peters, but the sides settled on a second- and fourth-round pick. Now, it looks like the Rams are getting a trade pick back to help compensate for the mid-rounders they sent for Peters and Sammy Watkins over the past several months.
Miami will send its fourth- and sixth-round picks to Los Angeles for Quinn and a sixth-rounder, Peter Schrager of NFL.com tweets. The Rams had three sixth-round picks in this draft, after collecting the third in the Peters deal, and it’s uncertain which one they will send to the Dolphins. The Dolphins also had two fourth-rounders after the Jay Ajayi trade as well, so it’s also not known which pick they agreed to include in this deal.
Quinn has two years and just more than $25MM remaining on his second NFL contract, and he’ll now return to a 4-3 scheme after spending 2017 in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4. While Quinn bounced back to start 14 games after being limited to fewer than 10 during the two prior years, he has not been the dominant force he was in St. Louis. But he will only be set for his age-28 season in 2018, so the Dolphins are betting the former first-round pick has some quality years left.
The former North Carolina prodigy compiled three straight seasons of 10-plus sacks from 2012-14, with that stretch peaking via 2013’s 19-sack season that placed Quinn on the top All-Pro team. He registered 8.5 sacks last season and has 62.5 for his career to go along with an impressive 21 forced fumbles (seven in that All-Pro slate). A back injury and a concussion limited Quinn to just 17 games during the 2015 and ’16 seasons.
This move is interesting financially for the Dolphins, who are projected to be $8MM-plus over the cap. They have given Jarvis Landry permission to find a trade and don’t look intent on carrying his $16.2MM franchise tag on their books. But Quinn is set for $12MM-plus cap numbers in each of the next two seasons. But none of that money is guaranteed.
With Quinn representing the third-highest cap hold on the Rams’ payroll, this will help a franchise that has multiple marquee UFAs it would like to retain in Watkins and Lamarcus Joyner and a looming extension for probably the best defensive player in football. The Rams entered Friday with $39.9MM in cap space.
Panthers Not Interested In Jarvis Landry
Jarvis Landry is on the block, but the Panthers won’t be among the teams to pursue the Dolphins wide receiver. Carolina is not interested, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter) hears. Instead, the Panthers are looking for a wide receiver with more speed. 
Landry has done well for himself in the NFL, but he isn’t exactly a track star. At the draft combine four years ago, he ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.77 seconds, which is one reason why he slid to the Dolphins in the backend of the second round. Since then, Landry has tallied 400 receptions for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns. That’s not too shabby for a receiver without top-end speed.
The Panthers are out on Landry, but plenty of other teams are expected to explore trading for him. We learned earlier today that the Bears have interest in Landry and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald suggests that the Niners are another team that would make sense. Salguero would also “not discount” the Titans. All three teams have needs at wide receiver and all of those clubs rank in the top ten in available cap space.
The Dolphins applied the franchise tag to Landry in October, holding him in place with a one-year, $16MM+ tender. Any team acquiring Landry is expected to hammer out a cap smoothing multi-year extension with him, but that number will factor heavily in negotiations.
Branden Albert Arrested
Left tackle Branden Albert was arrested on Wednesday in Atlanta, according to TMZ Sports. The two-time Pro Bowler was cuffed for second degree criminal damages and willful obstruction of a law officer, according to jail records. 
Police say that Albert went to a jewelry store with friends and repeatedly tried to access an area that was not open to customers. When asked to leave the area, Albert allegedly “punched a jewelry cabinet which left a very large hole” and threatened to “kill” the owner. Albert went on to push the security guard, who is an off-duty Atlanta police officer, and was tased. The 6’4″, 315-pound lineman pulled the taser prongs from his body and then got physical with the security guard. The guard suffered minor injuries and Albert was arrested shortly thereafter.
Albert got into an offseason spat with the Jaguars last year that included retirement, un-retirement, and ultimately ended with his release. After being traded from the Dolphins, Albert was hoping to have his contract re-worked to include guaranteed money. The Jaguars were not only unwilling to rework his contract, but they also asked that he play guard with Cam Robinson starting at left tackle. Once Albert hit the open market, he didn’t find the kind of lucrative offers that he was expecting. The Seahawks tried to get him on board, but he turned down a contract in October.
With upwards of $50MM in career earnings, it remains to be seen whether Albert will look to play in 2018. If he does want to return to the NFL, he may have to answer for his run-in with the law this week.
Bears Interested In Jarvis Landry
The Dolphins are working in concert with Jarvis Landry to find a suitable trade and already one potential suitor has emerged. The Bears have interest in acquiring the slot receiver, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Allow Landry To Seek Trade]
The Bears have a clear need at wide receiver this offseason and they also have the cap space to take on Landry’s one-year, $16.2MM tender. Presumably, the Bears would reach agreement on a long-term extension before acquiring Landry, giving them true value rather than a one-year rental.
Recently, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald‘s reported that the return for Landry will likely be a third-round pick, a late second-round pick, or a player. For what it’s worth, the Bears have seven picks in this year’s draft, but do not own a third-round choice. Their second-round pick is rather high (No. 39 overall) and their next pick doesn’t come until the fourth round (No. 105). Of course, that’s only a minor obstacle for a trade and there are other ways for the Bears to convey the value of a third rounder if that is the mutually agreed upon valuation.
Over the last four years, Landry has hauled in 400 passes for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns for Miami.