The Jets released wide receiver Allen Lazard on Tuesday, officially ending the Aaron Rodgers era in New York.
Rodgers, who the Jets brought over in 2023, influenced a few of his favorite Packers receivers (Lazard, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams) to make the trek with him during the two seasons he spent in New York. Cobb retired after ‘23, while Adams went to the Rams this season, leaving just Lazard there this season.
Lazard didn’t fit well into the Jets offense without Rodgers. He appeared in 10 games and was a healthy scratch for four others. In those appearances, he caught just 10 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown—quite the decrease from his 37 catches for 530 yards and six touchdowns with Rodgers last year.
The receiver was set to become a free agent this offseason anyway as the Jets voided the final year of his four-year, $44 million contract he signed in 2023. Now that Lazard hit free agency earlier than expected, it’ll be interesting to see if any teams show interest in picking him up for the final few weeks of the regular season.
At this point, a playoff-bound team would make the most sense for signing Lazard. Could that be the Steelers, where Rodgers is currently playing? It wouldn’t be a surprise as Rodgers has seemingly convinced Pittsburgh to bring over a few of his fellow veteran players this year (example, Adam Thielen). The Steelers haven’t officially made the playoffs, but they still hold onto the No. 4 bid after beating the Dolphins on Monday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jets Release One of Aaron Rodgers’s Former Favorite Receivers.
