Cleveland Browns: 5 restructure candidates this offseason

Dec 14, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) steps out of the back of the end zone for a safety to end the game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) steps out of the back of the end zone for a safety to end the game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
4 of 5
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

2. WR Jarvis Landry

Jarvis Landry has been a big part of the turnaround in Cleveland, but for what he offers on the field, his salary is just too rich. Moving on from Landry would save the team nearly $12 million in space this season.

He’s set to make more than Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, among others. He’s a pure slot who gets open against zone coverage in the 1-10 yard range, nothing more. That’s not worth paying nearly $15 million to in an offense that uses two tight ends on the majority of snaps.

If Landry were cut today, there’s no way he’d get anything close to $15 million on the open market. He has to acknowledge that and be willing to head back to the negotiation table. Getting the cap hit down to around $8 million and having all that guaranteed for 2021 and 2022 would be much easier to stomach — although that’s still a ton of space to devote to a player who would ideally be on the field on about 45 percent of snaps.

Everyone knows the contributions that Landry has made from a leadership perspective. But fans, the team, and Landry must all be honest about what he does and doesn’t offer on the field, and what that is actually worth in 2021.

Schedule