DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Jarvis

Nothing to argue about in that post. Great point about both injuries hampering Jarvis' production.

I'll add one more thing, and that's (IMO) Jarvis is the exact type of WR that really makes this offense go. He's got the right mindset (not hung up on individual stats), he's more the 'security blanket' type WR (good routes, very good hands), and a VERY willing blocker. It's true that he probably doesn't keep DC's up at night, but this offense needs more of him, not less.

I do understand the business side of things. Good teams don't keep guys until the end, but rather let them go a year or two before. I just argue that good teams also have a guy ready to go to take his spot.

If Jarvis' contract for '22 was 8-9 million ish, this thread might not exist...keeping him would be a no-brainer. 15 mil is a problem

It's interesting to read the obvious that Landry played through unusual injuries last year and that hindered his production...while in another thread, read that Baker had "the same receivers this year as he did in the last half of last year". Throw Higgins' odd self in there as well...and it's easy to see that while the WR names were the same, they most-certainly were not the same players.

No doubt. I don't think any motivation to release Landry is based on his ability...at least what he had.

Landry has been getting hurt. It may not be a red flag issue at this point, but it is certainly a yellow flag issue.

Landry really isn't a outside receiver, but we are paying and playing him as such. He isn't big and physical, and his speed is pretty average at this point.

If he is released, it is simply about money. What else could we do with that money?

Jarvis Landry can restructure to stay with the Browns; Baker Mayfield ahead of schedule: Browns Insider

Feb. 27, 2022
By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Browns will travel to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine this week, but they’ll get a lot more done than interviewing top college prospects, examining them and watching their drills.

They’ll also conduct plenty of NFL veteran roster business with the league year set to open March 16, and they’ll prepare for free agency and the trade market. As he does every year, Browns GM Andrew Berry will meet with the agents of Browns players with looming roster decisions and make tentative plans.

But this year, everything is fluid heading into the combine, in part because the veteran quarterback dominoes have yet to fall. Once that happens, the receiver market will also begin to take shape, meaning the Browns probably won’t have many definitive answers by the time they leave Indy around March 7, but they’ll have their roadmap with alternate routes.

Here’s the latest on some of the Browns key players:

*Jarvis Landry

Landry took to Twitter this week to let fans and everyone else know that he wants to remain with the Browns, but that he’s prepared to move on and help another team win a championship. He also made it clear he put the ball in the Browns’ court and that he gave everything to them even though he was injured most of 2021.

It sounded like goodbye, but it doesn’t have to be. Berry will meet with Landry’s agent in Indy this week, and the two will discuss a contract restructuring. If Landry, a five-time Pro Bowler, likes what he hears, he’ll agree to the deal and return to the Browns for a fifth season. If he doesn’t, the two sides will agree to part ways.

Heading into the final year of his deal, Landry, turning 30 in November, has a cap hit of $16.379 million, but no guaranteed money. That includes a base salary of $14.3 million, his prorated signing bonus of $1.5 million, and roster and workout bonuses totaling about $800,000. If the Browns release him, they’d save a $14.879 million on the cap and be left with only $1.5 million in dead money on the books.

The advantage for Landry on a re-do is that he’d gain a nice chunk of guaranteed money — like right tackle Jack Conklin did in his restructure on Saturday — with a chance to make up the difference in playing-time and performance-based incentives. The Browns still like Landry a lot as a player and would like to have him back. They’d still need to add two starting-caliber receivers, but Landry could remain a key piece of the offense, and a favorite target of Mayfield’s.

Landry wasn’t himself in 2021. He had career lows in receptions, yards and TDs with 52, 570, and 2, respectively. But he missed five games, and none of the Browns pass-catchers played up to their potential with Mayfield injured and having the worst season of his career. The Browns are counting on everyone benefitting from a healthier Mayfield coming off surgery to repair a left non-throwing torn labrum, and an upgraded receiving corps.

It could go either way, but the ball will soon be back in Landry’s court, and he’ll have to decide if he wants to accept the new deal or pursue a championship elsewhere.

*Mayfield is ahead of schedule in his rehab

The good news for the Browns is that Mayfield is ahead of schedule in his rehab from the labrum repair on Jan. 19, a source tells cleveland.com. He’s rehabbing at home in Austin, Texas, and doctors are encouraged by his excellent progress. Mayfield had to work so hard to strengthen the muscles in his left shoulder during the season that he was ahead of the game in his rehab. The fact that it’s his non-throwing shoulder also means his natural motion won’t be enormously impacted.

As happens every year, the Browns will meet with Mayfield’s reps in Indy to see where everyone’s at. As of now, the plan remains the same: for Mayfield to start for the Browns in 2022 and receive more support in the way of an upgraded receiving corps and perhaps some tweaks to the scheme.

The Browns have also promoted Drew Petzing from tight ends coach to QB coach this year to devote more resources to the position. The past two seasons, offensive coordintor Alex Van Pelt doubled as the offensive coordinator and QB coach. Petzing, who assisted with QBs in Minnesota, will focus on helping Mayfield get back on track and excel this season. It also frees up Van Pelt to focus more on the bigger picture on offense.

With Mayfield heading into his fifth-year option year at $18.86 million, the Browns will explore all available veteran and rookie quarterbacks, and this will come as no surprise to Mayfield and his camp. That’s why it’s good he’s off of social media right now, because plenty of rumors will fly once the QB dominoes begin to fall.

The Browns should make a run at Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady

But there are very few veteran QBs available this offseason, and demand is high. The Browns will do their diligence, but there aren’t many realistic options. They should and will inquire about Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson if they’re on the move, and they’ll likely keep an eye on Deshaun Watson’s legal issues. Some veteran QBs, such as Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr, seem poised to remain with their teams if they can agree on extensions. If not, they could be in play.

The Browns should also — and probably will — at least inquire about Tom Brady, who’s left the door open a crack about returning in 2022. If he decides to return, they should seriously consider making him a blockbuster offer considering that they’re an elite QB and receiver away from making a run at the Super Bowl.

As for veteran competition for Mayfield such as hometown QB Mitch Trubisky, who’s set to become a free agent, it’s something they’ll undoubtedly at least explore.

*JC Tretter’s outlook

Tretter, whose cap number for 2022 is $9.86 million, had another excellent season in 2021, ranking No. 2 overall among qualifying centers. But 2020 fifth-round pick Nick Harris is poised to step into the role if the Browns decide to part ways with Tretter and save $8.235 on the cap.

Because excellent centers are hard to come by, Tretter will start for someone in 2022 and he’d more likely be traded than released. Again, the Browns will work on him and others in Indy, and he could be back. Harris, meanwhile, played well when he started in place of Tretter (COVID-19) in Green Bay.

*Jadeveon Clowney’s future

The Browns hope to re-sign Clowney, who had nine sacks in only 14 games last season, but he operates on his own timeframe and marches to his own drummer. He’ll do things his way as his contract is set to expire, and it’s anybody’s guess where he’ll end up.

But given the nine sacks, he’ll undoubtedly command a double-digit millions contract, and the Browns are prepared to pay up. Pro Football Focus estimates his value at one year, $15 million, including $12 million guaranteed, and he’s worth it. If they’re unsure he’ll be back, they’ll look in the veteran edge market for his replacement, and also in the draft. They actually also need to find a replacement for No. 3 edge Takk McKinley, who’s coming off ruptured Achilles surgery, and whose contract is up.

*David Njoku set to hit the jackpot

Njoku can either sign a big, multiyear extension with the Browns before he hits the market on March 16, or he can test the waters to set his price. The Browns definitely want him back, and are prepared to pay him the double-digit millions he’ll get on the open market. They’ve been talking to his agents for months, and are poised to try to get a deal done before or during the legal tampering period March 14-16.

Njoku has said he wants to finish his career here, and is completely bought in. Again, Njoku suffered from an unhealthy Mayfield in 2021 and is capable of twice the production. PFF estimates his market value at three years, $11 million a year, which would be more than the $10.5 million a year they’re paying Austin Hooper. It might also effectively make Njoku the No. 1 tight end, which could shake things up a bit.

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/20...ld-ahead-of-schedule-browns-insider.html

They put articles like that behind a paywall? What a joke. MKC sitting there rehashing what's on Twitter and the work actual journalists did throughout the week.

Let's talk business:

Njoku is looking for a big deal long term. The assumption is that would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 11-12 million per year. A 3-year deal would be about $36 million. Not addressing the TE room though would give the Browns the highest paid TE room in the NFL. Whether you like Hooper or not, cutting him this year would generate $11.25 million in dead cap and give the Browns a savings of $2.0 million. Keeping Hooper calls for an investment of $25.25 million while cutting him would cost $23.25 million. To put that in perspective, Travis Kelce KCC is scheduled to make $8.855 million in 2022 and $13.25 million in 2023. Over the next 2-years, giving Njoku a new deal and cutting Hooper would mean the Browns have $35.25 million invested in Njoku and dead cap money while KCC would be paying Kelce $22.105. Njoku has caught 148 passes for 1,754 yards and 15 TD's the last 5 years compared to Kelce catching 480 passes for 6,144 yards and 43 TD's. To even consider paying Njoku anything near what Kelce makes is just plain stupid. Now anyone can say that Hooper isn't living up to his contract but Njoku getting Kelce money would be equally stupid at this point. Signing Njoku to a $36 million deal when you have so many other holes to fill seems wasteful.

Landry: No one is questioning what Landry has done for this team since coming here. That said, Landry is in the final year of his deal and certainly not projected to be part of the plan going forward after 2022. His deal prohibits a trade and releasing him would free up $14.879 million. Before the Browns get into free agency, they should trade Hunt and a 2023 3rd round pick for Calvin Ridley. Hunt is in much the same situation as Landry being he's on the final year of his deal. Resigning Johnson would be much cheaper and then the Browns can go to the draft to bring in some youth to the RB room. Hunt has no dead cap so his $6.25 million salary would go straight to the cap. Between Hunt and Landry, that's $21.129 million of additional cap. The Falcons picked up the option year on Ridley's rookie contract worth $11.1 million in 2022, but because he was placed on the non-injury list for 2021, the Falcons can roll over his fourth-year which was $1.97 million. That would mean the Browns could get Ridley for 2-years at a discount price of $13.07 million.

Tretter: Tretter is in the final year of his deal and is the elder stateman on the Browns offensive line. All indications suggest that Harris is ready to replace Tretter at center. Keeping Harris on the bench for another year when the replacement is ready seems a little foolish. IMHO, the Browns have no intention of extending Tretter so why wait? Freeing up $8.235 million in cap with so many holes to fill would appear to be a no brainer. There's many teams that would love to have Tretter's experience - Trade Tretter!

Keenum: Having the highest paid backup in the NFL certainly appears to be a waste of money. Keenum has $1.33 million in dead cap but would free up $7.1 million in new cap. Adding this figure to the cap while getting a cheaper backup that would provide equal or better play seems like the strategic move to make.

These moves free up $36.46 million minus Ridley's 2-year contract leaves $23.394 million to acquire other free agents. This number does not include Conklin's restructure but just doing these moves would give the Browns approximately $52.263 million in cap space before Free Agency starts.

basically, Jarvis is on the trading block

Nobody is going to trade for Landry with his current deal. I also suspect he won't restructure so the only way out is to release him.

This is one of those reports on a quote where it would be better to be able to see & hear the entire thing as it was said. Tone of voice, phrasing, etc.. are valuable inputs that give context that text lacks. Especially when the reporter is using a medium that limits them to 140 characters.

The saga of Jarvis will conclude soon enough. I'd say the odds are that he is gone, but if we feel we can't get somebody better at a cheaper price, he will stick.

I think that's going to be how it plays out...however I heard this 'rumor' from a friend who read it somewhere...maybe in his sleep:

Browns trade Landry to Cowboys for A Cooper. Cowboys release Landry with minimal cap hit. Cowboys get much-needed cap relief that they couldn't get any other way via/with A Cooper.

I didn't 'vet' this to see if it even works on the cap-hit-savings angle.

The Cowboys save $16 million on Cooper.
We save $14.8 million on Jarvis.
We take on $20 million for Cooper.

It actually works except for the part we're now on the hook for $20 million per year, through 2024, for Amari Cooper. We could definitely do a restructure there, though.

j/c:


https://www.beaconjournal.com/story...ki-andrew-berry-nfl-contract/9326056002/

I don't think anybody feels differently if things can be worked out. Jarvis might be the only one not willing to work anything out. Part of the decision will be his.

And that is the story. Had the contract been structured differently and 7 mil was sitting there at the end, he would probably stay. If we can get a deal where we give in a $mill to sign and spread the 16 mil over this season and next season in some fashion, essentially giving us 2 years at 8 mil each, a deal might be reached.

I know the actual numbers might be massaged some, just trying to illustrate the point.

I didn't get that one bit.

To me, whenever a coach references the NFL being a business and having a hard situation in regards to keeping a player, I normally don't take that as a good sign.

I agree as well, but that is Mac's way of setting up a thread once Jarvis is released on how the "Harvard Boys" didn't listen to the football guy.

I didn't take it to mean anything either way. What he said is something everyone already knows. They aren't going to pay Landry 15 mil. this year and they will have to try to come to a business arrangement. I don't see how stating the obvious has any message contained in it.

So. . . nothing has changed?

Pretty much. But just sharing the tweet. Thought maybe means it we'll know something for sure, sooner rather than later.

I would guess we know something within the next couple days.

What is the "deadline"?

I don’t think there is an official deadline but my guess is that both parties would like to have the situation resolved before the new league starts.

I would do a 3 year deal for Landry .... maybe like this: $15 signing bonus, $2 million this year and $5 next, and $15 million in year 3. That would lower his cap this year and next, and year 3 would be a "get out cheaper" year. Guarantee $23 million (which would guarantee $1 in year 3) and would give cap hits of $7 million this year, $10 million next, and $20 million in year 3. (with a year 3 cap savings of $14 if he is cut/traded) He would not lose any money, and would get his money this year, just in a different form.

Yeah - I don't see it happening. Which is a darn shame but I guess part of the NFL.

I think a WR in the 2nd round makes a ton of sense. Someone talented enough to push DPJ to be better - someone that can play slot, or someone who allows Amari to play slot maybe? Someone who allows us to play 3 legit WR on a play and have the D have to worry about all of them.

Free agency hasn't even begun yet. Claiming we will wait until the second round of the draft to get a WR at this point in time is quite premature.

not premature so much is "speculation" and "opinion" during a slow part of the season .... if you look around, you'll see quite a lot of that on these boards.

I don't actually disagree with you. Just pointing out that you can't actually with any confidence have a clue where we will be sitting at the time of the draft when only factoring in the first single trade during the off season and before the FA market even opens up. Is that wrong?

The Landry situation is compounded by the previous moves Berry has made. As of today, the Browns are $3,074,885 over the cap. They have no cap space to sign any free agents or draft picks at this time. No matter how you cut the bread - the Browns must free up some cap by the start of the league year. NFL teams who use the franchise tag on players through the 4 p.m. ET deadline on March 8 will have a week to get their books under the cap. That's a March 16 deadline, the first day of the new league year.

The NFL's cap is a hard cap that the teams have to stay under at all times, and the salary floor is also a hard floor. Penalties for violating or circumventing the cap regulations include fines of up to $5 million for each violation, cancellation of contracts and/or loss of draft picks.

In a nutshell, the Browns have about 54 hours to get their finances in order. Players are going to have to be moved and moved soon to be league compliant. Even if the Browns can get Landry to restructure, there's no cap available to sign him currently so some moves better happen soon if the Browns expect to be players in the FA market which as of right now they are not players.

And they will.

that's 1 contract restructure.

we also don't know yet if we restructured Cooper's contract