Jets: FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Allen Lazard, who had been one of Aaron Rodgers’ veteran wide receivers with the Green Bay Packers, was traded to the New York Jets while the Jets kept trying to trade for Rodgers.
TheScore.com says that a source has confirmed that the Jets and Lazard have agreed on the terms of a four-year, $44 million contract. The parties are currently going over the final terms of the contract to make sure there are no more problems.
Dianna Russini of ESPN heard from sources that Aaron Rodgers sent the New York Jets a list of free agents he wanted to sign. Lazard was on that list. So, Rodgers should be happy with the deal.
On the other hand, Rodgers will talk about his future as a player on “The Pat McAfee Show” at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Wednesday.
Nathaniel Hackett, who used to be the offensive coordinator for the Packers and now does the same job for the Jets, will work with Lazard again. If the Jets and the Packers are able to make a deal to trade for Rodgers, there could be a double reunion in the near future.
Lazard, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall, will join a group of receivers that already includes NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson and slot receiver Elijah Moore. Lazard is taller than both of these other players. Corey Davis is in the last year of a three-year deal worth $37.5 million and has a non-guaranteed salary of $10.5 million. His arrival has led to rumours that the Jets may let him go. Davis’s contract will end at the end of the current season. If he is traded or let go, all $10.5 million will be taken off the salary cap.
By letting go of Braxton Berrios, the back-up slot receiver, the New York Jets have already saved $5 million. This means that Denzel Mims is the best outside receiver backup. They might be interested in free agent receiver Randall Cobb, who has been a teammate of Aaron Rodgers for a long time.
After the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Raiders in Las Vegas, Lazard was the Packers’ unofficial No. 1 receiver the year before. Even though he didn’t have a lot of big numbers, Lazard set career highs in receptions (60), receiving yards (788), and touchdowns (six). Moreover, he scored six touchdowns (the second most of his career).
Lazard, who is now 27 years old, played last season as a restricted free agent on a contract worth $3.96 million. It was the first time in his whole professional life that he made more than the league’s minimum wage. After joining the NFL in 2018, he signed with the Jaguars as a free agent who wasn’t picked in the draught. The Packers picked him up from Jacksonville’s practise squad at the end of the 2018 season.
In the last four seasons, he has been a good third-down receiver, catching 52 passes for 842 yards on those downs. With an average of 16.2 yards per third-down catch, he was sixth among NFL players who caught at least 40 passes on third down during that time.
He also has a good reputation for blocking in both the running game and the passing game, which is how his coaches gave him the nickname “The Goon.”