NFL Turning Point: Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wanted to erase Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry

Over his previous five games against the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry had been exceptionally productive. He averaged 7.8 catches for 90.6 yards on 11 targets over those games and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knew Landry would be a big part of the Miami offense on Sunday.

Recently, the Patriots asked cornerback Malcolm Butler to cover Landry, but instead decided to give the task to Jonathan Jones- a surprise since Jones matched up well with Dolphins speedster Kenny Stills.

NFL Network and NFL Films had Bill Belichick mic’d up on Sunday to show how New England planned on containing Landry, and how that attention contributed to Stephon Gilmore’s interception before the half.

Landry still collected 8 catches for 70 yards on 9 targets so it’s not like the Patriots shut him out, but they did a pretty good job for much of the game. Landry had 5 catches for 51 yards on 5 targets in the second quarter, but was close to shut out for the rest of the game.

Landry is a free agent after this year and with the way that Bill Belichick speaks about the receiver, it wouldn’t be a shock to see New England in pursuit. The Dolphins don’t appear overly interested in retaining Landry and the market for a slot receiver is not too strong and would likely come in around $8-10 million per year, depending on the desperation of the team offering the deal.

The Patriots have to think about extending Brandin Cooks and already have the likes of Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and Phillip Dorsett under contract. Danny Amendola also presents a much more team-friendly contract option, so adding Landry is a major long shot. But so was the acquisition of Cooks, so who knows how it will play out.