CLEVELAND — As they enter the offseason, the Cleveland Browns find themselves facing several key decisions that will affect their ability to shape their roster. One of those happens to be whether or not to retain wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who is entering the final season of the five-year, $75.5 million contract he signed in 2018.
While there is no disputing Landry's status as a veteran leader and fan favorite -- in addition to being arguably the Browns' top wide receiver -- the reality remains that the five-time Pro Bowl selection's value may no longer match his contract. Entering the final year of his contract, the 29-year-old Landry is due to make $16.6 million, $15.1 million of which Cleveland can save by waiving or trading him, with just $1.5 million in dead cap space.
Such savings would likely be attractive to the Browns as high-priced extensions for Myles Garrett, Nick Chub and Wyatt Teller begin to kick in. It's also not a stretch to say that Landry's production in each of the last two seasons -- he tallied 72 catches for 840 yards and three touchdowns in 2020 and 52 catches for 570 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 -- hasn't matched his own sizable salary.
Asked about Landry's future with the franchise on Tuesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry praised the LSU product, but declined to discuss specifics regarding a potential departure.
“I think everybody on this call knows how much respect we have for Jarvis Landry and really what he has meant for our team and organization over the past several years," Berry said. "He has been a productive player for us really since the day that we traded for him, and he has been really a key piece in terms of how the team and organization has evolved over the last several years.”
Should Cleveland waive or trade Landry, it would only increase the Browns' need to improve their wide receiver room in the offseason ahead. Currently, Donovan Peoples-Jones is slated to return as Cleveland's top receiver next season after catching 34 passes for 597 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.