The Miami Dolphins have decided to use their nonexclusive franchise tag on wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
The Dolphins tweeted the announcement Tuesday, the first day teams could use their franchise or transition tags. The salary for wide receivers getting the franchise tag this offseason is expected to be around $16.2 million, which will be quite the raise for Landry, who made $894,000 last season.
The tag will hold Landry in place while the Dolphins try to make progress on a long-term deal. Because the team is using its nonexclusive tag, Landry is free to sign an offer sheet with another team. Should the Dolphins choose not to match an offer sheet for Landry, they would be due two first-round draft picks from Landry's new team.
Landry, 25, led the NFL with 112 receptions last season. He also had 987 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions. Landry has been selected to the Pro Bowl for three consecutive seasons.
He was ejected in the Dolphins' season finale against the Buffalo Bills after he instigated a fourth-quarter brawl. Coach Adam Gase called the incident "embarrassing."
Landry's 112 receptions were the most in NFL history for a player who didn't have at least 1,000 receiving yards that season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He had eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in both the 2015 and '16 seasons, when he finished with 1,157 yards and 1,136 yards, respectively.
Only Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown (471) and Atlanta's Julio Jones (411) have more receptions than Landry's 400 since he debuted in the NFL in 2014. Landry's 400 receptions are the most for any player through his first four seasons in the league.