Now that Kenny Stills has a new contract in Miami, the question in the Dolphins wide receivers room is when Jarvis Landry will receive a deserved pay increase.
Landry is due to earn just under $900,000 in the final year of his rookie contract.
It would be an understatement to say he has outplayed that contract. Landry's 288 receptions are tied with former LSU teammate Odell Beckham for the most ever in a player's first three NFL seasons. His 612 yards after the catch last season ranked second among all receivers.
Might Landry skip offseason practices if negotiations aren't favorable? Coach Adam Gase shot down that theory on Tuesday.
"He's a football player that loves being part of our program," Gase said, via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He'll be there. Trust me."
Early in the offseason, the Dolphins reportedly fielded calls from teams interested in a potential trade. That said, Miami's decision makers are not shopping their best receiver.
Reaching common ground on a long-term contract could prove difficult after promising wideouts such as Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor failed to set a new market in free agency.
"We're going to do the right thing and work to keep our guys within our organization," Gase continued. "There is a big picture that not everyone looks at and we have to do our job of making sure we do what we need to do in the right order, the right way."
Perhaps the two sides can model a deal on the four-year, $46 million contract signed by Seahawks star Doug Baldwin last June. Among the top five slot receivers in the game, Landry and Baldwin share many of the same strengths and skills.
