Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who sat out the 2023 season, will attend rookie minicamp with the Jaguars and could be added to the roster after Zay Jones was released on Tuesday. Kirk Irwin/Associated Press
The Jacksonville Jaguars released veteran receiver Zay Jones on Tuesday, dumping him five days after drafting LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick and a day after agreeing to bring five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry in for rookie minicamp.
Jones was scheduled to count nearly $10.8 million against the salary cap in 2024, a significant payout for someone expected to be the team’s fourth receiver at best. Jacksonville will eat $6.6 million in dead money to save $4.2 million this season.
Jones, who has 3,028 career receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in seven years with Buffalo, Oakland/Las Vegas and Jacksonville, missed eight games last season with knee and hamstring injuries. He also was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was ultimately dropped.
He was entering the final year of a three-year, $24 million contract that included $14 million guaranteed.
The Jaguars could use the cap savings to sign Landry, who is looking to get back into the league after sitting out 2023.
Landry has played nine NFL seasons, including four in Miami and four in Cleveland. He signed a one-year, $3 million deal with his hometown New Orleans Saints in 2022 but finished with 25 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown – all career lows. He missed eight games and landed on injured reserve that December.
BROWNS: Cleveland picked up the fifth-year option on versatile cornerback Greg Newsome II’s rookie contract.
A first-round pick in 2021, Newsome is scheduled to make $13.3 million in 2025.
Newsome had been mentioned in trade rumors for months and they increased leading into the NFL draft last weekend. But the Browns have remained committed to Newsome, held onto him and exercised the option ahead of Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
• The Browns added depth to their solid offensive line, agreeing on a contract with free agent center Brian Allen, his agency announced on social media.
Allen, who started 36 games and a Super Bowl for the Rams, is getting a one-year contract.
RATINGS: After posting strong numbers for the first round, viewership for the NFL draft was down 3% from last year on TV and digital platforms.
The draft averaged 5.74 million viewers for the three days this year across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network after averaging 5.93 million in 2023 according to the league and Nielsen.
The first round, where six quarterbacks were selected, averaged 12.1 million viewers, a 6% increase over last year. It was the highest day one viewership since 2021, when there was an average audience of 12.6 million.
The last two days saw a drop-off though, with a dearth of compelling storylines.
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