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Are The Dolphins Really Thinking About Trading Jarvis Landry?

BOSTON (CBS) -- With the Dolphins' season looking bleak in the wake of losing starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, they could be looking to unload one of their most valuable assets. Rumor has it that dynamic slot receiver Jarvis Landry is on the block.

According to The Ringer's Michael Lombardi on Twitter, the Dolphins will "seriously listen" to trade offers for Landry as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. Landry is due just an $893,000 base salary in 2017, but as a free agent could earn a multi-year deal worth upwards of $10 million per season - which the Dolphins are apparently unwilling to pay.

Mike Florio later reported on Pro Football Talk that Lombardi's report is "zero percent" accurate and the Dolphins won't be listening to any offers because they "want to keep Landry around". Florio added that a team inquired about Landry in the spring but the talks went nowhere.

Despite Edelman's ascension to the upper echelon of NFL slot receivers since becoming the Patriots' top option, Landry has been the most productive at the position since he entered the league in 2014. Over the past two seasons, only Antonio Brown (342), Julio Jones (219), and Larry Fitzgerald (216) have had more receptions than Landry's 204.

Jarvis Landry - Miami Dolphins v Los Angeles Rams
Jarvis Landry of the Miami Dolphins (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Patriots suddenly have a major void at the slot receiver position with Julian Edelman out for the season with a torn ACL, so if Landry were available they may be inclined to at least kick the tires on a possible deal. But it's highly unlikely that the Dolphins would trade Landry within the division.

Landry's price tag would almost certainly be too high for the Patriots and their still-loaded offense, anyway. But in a season where the Jets and Bills appear to be in tanking mode as they each compile a multitude of draft picks, the Dolphins would almost certainly be headed in that same direction if they moved Landry to another team.

On the Patriots' side, it's more likely that they get creative with the offense and mix in other players to cover Edelman's role. If they simply run the same offense with a different receiver in the slot, Danny Amendola would be the top candidate with undrafted rookie Austin Carr having an outside shot.

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