NFL insider says Jarvis Landry declined opportunity to return to Browns

Ian Rapoport hopped on a Twitter Spaces and discussed what happened between the Browns and Jarvis Landry which led to him going to New Orleans

Twitter Spaces has quickly become a fun place for people to get together and discuss a shared interest. And sports fans have turned it into a way to get together with other fans and talk about their clubs.

For the Cleveland Browns, @Pchopz_ has been hosting plenty of them and one of his latest had an NFL Insider pop in as Ian Rapoport decided to join the fun and talk all things Browns — including Jarvis Landry and what led to his departure.

One nugget from Rapoport was that he believed the Browns were willing to pay Landry more than what he got with the Saints. However, Landry believed he could have gotten more and basically asked to be cut.

"“Jarvis had ample opportunity to come back to the Browns,” Rapoport said via Ben Axelrod of WKYC. “When he was released, it was my understanding that he was pushing for that, to be a free agent. Turned down their offer and was pushing to be a free agent, so basically asking to be cut. Had he hung around, I think their original deal essentially turned it into a one-year pay cut deal. I think that still would have been available after Deshaun Watson gets traded [to the Browns] and he would probably still be there.”"

There were initially reports that Landry wanted around $20 million per season, which was never going to happen. There were also rumors that he didn’t want to return until after Deshaun Watson joined the team.

Jarvis Landry was replaced in the NFL Draft

Another part of what Rapoport said in his discussion was that the Browns basically replaced Landry with David Bell, saying “that was it” for the team. After adding Bell, they turned the page and Landry was left with the Saints.

In the end, it could be a good move for Landry who has a one-year “prove-it” deal. If he’s able to get healthy, he could prove to teams he deserves more in 2023 free agency.

However, there is some risk. He does join a receiving corps that’s suddenly crowded with Michael Thomas returning and Chris Olave coming in as a Round 1 pick. There’s also Marquez Callaway who put up much better statistics than Landry last season — and before we say New Orleans had no one else to throw to, remember the Browns didn’t either and Landry was still incredibly quiet in 2021.

On top of that, Callaway had to do his work with Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill throwing him the ball.

That means Landry will have some competition for targets (much more than he did in Cleveland for the majority of his four seasons), but he can still do a lot of good for himself if he can stay healthy and get on the same page as Jameis Winston.