The Jets’ offense has plenty of new faces in place for the coming season, but a high degree of familiarity exists between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a number of the skill-position players around him. One of those is wideout Allen Lazard, whose arrival in the Big Apple was something the pair discussed leading up to their Green Bay-to-New York moves. 
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Rodgers and Lazard frequently communicated with each other about joining the Jets, the latter confirmed when speaking to the media during training camp. By the time free agency opened up in mid-March, Lazard quickly agreed to a four-year, $44MM contract which added further to the speculation Rodgers would soon end up in New York as well. Despite the delays on the trade front for Rodgers, Lazard remained confident they would be able to continue their working relationship in a new home.
“We obviously had a very deep conversation and talked about the possibilities of where he would go, where I would go,” the 27-year-old said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Not to say that him going here was the only reason why I came here, or me coming here was the only reason why he didn’t want to retire or stay in Green Bay, per se, but I knew he was doing everything he could do.”
The long-anticipated Rodgers trade was not finalized until April, but its completion came as no surprise after the efforts made by the Jets to acquire the four-time MVP. Much of their offseason was built upon adding familiar faces for him on offense, and Lazard will play a key role in the carryover of Packers alum into New York. He spent the first five years of his career with Rodgers and the Packers, operating as a starter for the past three years and recording a career-high 788 yards in 2022.
The hiring of Nathaniel Hackett – Green Bay’s offensive coordinator from 2019-21 – to serve in the same role for the Jets has led to the expectation of a quick familiarization period in the passing game despite the many changes made in New York. A strong season from Rodgers and Lazard would go a long way toward the team reaching its win-now goals, and represent a positive outcome from their shared plan dating back to the end of their respective Packers tenures.