The Cleveland Browns are releasing five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who helped the team’s turnaround but is too expensive to keep, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press.
Landry will officially be let go later Monday, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced the transaction.
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The Browns were hoping to restructure Landry’s contract, but couldn't strike a compromise. The team will save nearly $15 million in cash and salary-cap space, allowing the Browns to address other needs.
Landry’s departure comes two days after the Browns agreed to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with Dallas. Cooper will be Cleveland’s No. 1 wide receiver, a spot that opened when Odell Beckham Jr. forced his way out last season.
Shortly after getting Cooper from the Cowboys for a fifth- and sixth-round pick, the Browns gave Landry permission to seek a trade.
Now, as a free agent, he’ll have his choice where to go and there will likely be numerous teams interested in signing a proven, dependable veteran with 688 career catches.
As the Browns fell way short of expectations in 2021, Landry had his worst season, with career lows in receptions (53), yards (570) and touchdowns (two) while being slowed by a knee injury. He had caught at least 72 passes in each of his previous seven seasons.
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Landry suffered the knee injury on Sept. 19 against Houston. The 29-year-old missed five games — he had missed just one in his previous seven seasons combined — and wasn’t the same when he came back.
Also, Landry, who had been instrumental in helping change Cleveland’s culture after arriving via trade from the Miami Dolphins in 2018, was upset by his good friend Beckham's release in November and didn't speak to the media for the remainder of the season.