This situation seems to be so
far out of hand it’s not even funny. So, the latest rumors are that the
Dolphins are looking for a trade partner to get a 3rd round pick or late 2nd
rounder?!?  Are the Dolphins kidding me?  Landry is arguably the best
offensive player on a team lacking in that department. And they believe that
fair compensation is a 3rd rounder?  I get it, we’re not trading our 1st
and Landry to move up to the Colts pick as some have suggested. In this draft,
with so many teams valuing quarterbacks, the price is going to be a lot more
than that.   

So how did we get here?
 The Dolphins let him play out his final year in his rookie deal and got a
good player cheap. Now he reportedly wants to be paid somewhere around $58
million over 4 years. So that’s $14.5 million a year and some are saying he’s
not worth that. Ok, well is he worth $12 million a year?  That would put
him just outside of being paid in the top ten wide receivers in the league. So,
you’re talking about a two-million-dollar difference. Is that worth losing a
guy for a 3rd round pick that may or may not develop?  I get the argument
that Landry is not better that Julio Jones, so why should he make more?
 Well, Tom Brady is about as good as any player in the league and he isn’t
even the highest paid player at his own position.  As a matter of fact,
Pro Football Talk says Brady is ranked number 22 out of 30 quarterbacks in 2018
salary at around $15 million per year. As time goes on and as the salary cap
changes players are paid more and guys who used to be paid the highest get
passed by players up for new deals. That’s just business in the NFL.  

And don’t give me this he’s a
problem in the locker room garbage?  This wasn’t an issue until his
contract year and you don’t catch 400 passes over the first four years of his
career by constantly running the wrong route. It’s not happening. Short of
that, the Dolphins need to stop giving away talented athletes for nothing (see
Jay Ajayi).  

So, let’s just say they do let
him leave. Who replaces him?  Carroo? Parker? Ford?  Carroo for
whatever reason hasn’t developed. Hopefully he does, but it’s not a sure bet. 
Parker for a ton of reasons hasn’t developed. He can’t be trusted to stay
healthy. Unless something changes he should not even be re-signed after his
rookie deal. And we don’t know who Ford is. He might be good. He might not be.
 The point is good receivers don’t just fall out of trees.  Just ask
the Colts, Bears, Jets, Ravens, Bills, and the Browns to name a few.

A smarter move for the Dolphins
is to figure out what to do with Suh. I love the guy. Strong, tough, durable,
but he’s not putting points on the board. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t
changed the outcome of most of the games he’s played in. But the Dolphins are
on the hook for $26 million this year?  That’s the Best Player in the
League kind of money!  I’m not sure he’s the best at his position anymore.
It can be argued that Aaron Donald might be the top defensive tackle in the
league. I’d also argue we have more depth and youth at the defensive tackle
position than we do at wide receiver. How about do what Armando Salguero wrote
about and cut him as a Post June 1st cut and save $17 million in cap space. Use
that to sign Landry at $14.5 and use the rest on veteran defensive tackle or
guard for depth.

So, the Dolphins are supposed
to be meeting with Landry’s agent Wednesday to discuss the situation. Well they
better bring a peace offering in the form of that $58 million contract or they
can be criticized again for making a bad and embarrassing business deal.
 Stop letting good players go for pennies on the dollar. For Ross to be
the savvy business man he is, there is no way I believe he can look at the
horrible negotiations and one-sided deals the Dolphins are making and have
confidence in Grier and Tannenbaum.