Land the rocket on some flame-proof air bags. It doesn't have to land vertically does it? Let it fall over gently if need be.
AFAIK most of SpaceX's design decisions are based around this.
Or even better, how about getting it to land sideways on purpose? I don't see how that would be more difficult than doing it upright.
Now imagine a cylinder made of that material 3-4 times wider than a barrel and 20-30ft high.
That's why you can't land them sideways they'd just crush themselves.
Thanks for the pointer.