Before Jaylen Waddle was drafted, the Miami Dolphins' receptions record belonged to Jarvis Landry. The second-round pick was not only one of the most reliable offensive talents the Dolphins had, but he was also one of the most well-liked players by the fans.
To this day, you can enter Hard Rock Stadium and find fans wearing number 14. His departure from the Dolphins didn't come as a shocking surprise, but it could have been avoided, and fans would have loved to have seen that happen. Landry has been talking a lot lately, even about Tua Tagovailoa.
It's been years since Landry was on the football field and longer since he was with the Dolphins, but he is blaming Miami for the death of his NFL career, and he isn't entirely wrong.
Jarvis Landry directly blames the Miami Dolphins for his failed NFL career, and he is right
The year was 2017, Landry was due for a contract extension, and the Dolphins were willing to give him one. Provided, of course, that he accepted what they were offering. Landry wanted more. It led to problems between him and the then-head coach, Adam Gase.
Gase, at one time, informed Landry that if he didn't like the offer, he would trade him to Cleveland. In March, he did exactly that.
“My coach, at the time, it was his thing in team meetings where he said, ‘If somebody doesn’t want to play for the Miami Dolphins, I’ll send you to Cleveland.’ Essentially, send you to Cleveland so your career could die.”
The Dolphins eventually received 4th and 7th-round draft picks from the Browns. It wasn't much. The Dolphins had placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the WR. He then worked out potential deals with the Ravens and Titans, but Gase wanted to prove a point and sent him to the Browns instead.
His time with Cleveland was far from horrible. He helped the team reach its best win totals in more than a decade during his time there, but it was still Cleveland, and he wasn't winning a championship.
The bitterness between the two sides during those negotiations was palpable even to fans who knew his time with the Dolphins was coming to an end.
Gase was one of the worst coaches in Dolphins history. His ego had nothing to stand on, and inevitably it led to confrontations with both Chris Grier and Stephen Ross late in his final season.
The WR wasn't the only one threatened with being traded. It was a common statement that at the time was well known outside of the building.
Landry shouldn't be too upset. His career continued to thrive statistically, and he got more money than Miami was willing to give him. Gase would get fired after the 2018 season and be relegated to the Jets, where his career as an NFL coach would not only die, but send him back to the high-school sidelines.
Gase is now on the Chargers staff joining another Dolphins head coaching castoff, Mike McDaniel.