Jarvis Landry sidestepped every question about getting a new contract on the first day of training camp, but the Miami Dolphins receiver wasn't shy about discussing what truly mattered to him.
Landry, a two-time Pro Bowler, shares an NFL record with former LSU teammate and York Giants Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for most receptions in a player's first three seasons.
The record of 288 catches over the past three seasons is something Landry and Beckham, close friends, talk about often, Landry said.
According to Landry, "the race for year four is on."
"I don't think anybody has done year 4 either, so that's on," said Landry, who contributed 3,051 receiving yards and scored 14 touchdowns in his first three seasons. "It'll be fun. It'll be interesting. I love him to death so it's all good."
Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowler, has accounted for 4,122 yards and scored 35 touchdowns off his 288 receptions.
Beckham has played in five fewer games than Landry, and averages 3.7 yards more per reception.
Both former LSU standouts are pushing for a new contract, but Landry has a stronger case to get a new deal, considering he's entering the final season of his contract as a second-round pick and is the 107th highest-paid receiver in the NFL.
The Giants exercised the team's fifth-year option on Beckham, who was selected 12thoverall in the 2014 draft. That means he's locked up for two seasons. The fifth-year option salary for a player picked outside of the top 10 is the average of the third- through 25th-highest salaries at a player's position, which means Beckham is expected to earn approximately $8 million for the 2018 season.
Landry, who is scheduled to make $893,850 in the final year of his rookie deal, is waiting on Dolphins management to make a contract offer. His goal is to be paid like a top-10 receiver, which would require a contract that averages more than $10 million a season.
Landry, who caught 94 passes for 1,136 yards and four touchdowns last season, said he doesn't plan to engage in contract discussions once the regular-season begins on Sept. 10 to avoid being a distraction.
The Dolphins have a little more than $16 million in cap space to get a deal done for Landry.
Landry said there was no thought given to sitting out the beginning of training camp and that he avoided discussing his contract negotiations with the media, attempting to downplay the uncomfortable position he's in as a top performer who is paid less than many of the team's backups.
"I'm out here just focusing on now," Landry said. I'm focusing on all of the things that I can control, every time I step on the field. Everything else is out of my hands, is out of my control. I leave that with God.
"Being a leader and having an opportunity to take another step, we don't need anything hindering us off that path," Landry added. "So for me to be here and to show the guys that it is about them and it's about the team, that's what I'm here to do."
