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Allen Lazard

AFC East Rumors: Van Pelt, Jets, Dolphins

January 15th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both the Giants and Vikings submitted viable offers to the Patriots for the No. 3 overall pick last year, with each NFC franchise eyeing Drake Maye. Each would have netted the Pats an additional second-rounder in last year’s draft and a first this year. New York’s proposal would have given New England this year’s third overall choice, but Maye now serves as the Pats’ franchise centerpiece. Ultimately, then-acting GM Eliot Wolf and ownership stayed and picked Maye. Though, there appeared to be some supporters of accepting a trade-down offer. At the time, it is believed OC Alex Van Pelt was among those who viewed the Pats’ roster as too deficient to pass on moving down, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes.

While it may not be certain Mike Vrabel moves on from Van Pelt, the OC effectively confirmed this by telling friends he had been fired following the team’s Week 18 game. This came despite the organization being pleased with how he had helped develop Maye. Vrabel’s next play-caller’s chief assignment will be elevating Maye to another level in 2025.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • In December, Davante Adams was noncommittal about his Jets future. After all, the player responsible for him being traded to New York — Aaron Rodgers — appears on his way out. After the season, Adams did not confirm (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) he would be following Rodgers out the door, but he said staying with the team post-Rodgers would depend on a few factors. Adams’ Raiders-built contract runs through 2026. Allen Lazard was more enthusiastic about staying with the Jets. The lower-profile Rodgers come-with guy at receiver, Lazard went from being a healthy scratch at a point in 2023 to totaling 530 yards and six touchdowns this season. Lazard said (via Cimini) he wants to stay and later retire a Jet. Though, his four-year, $44MM contract would produce $11MM in savings if removed from the payroll via a post-June 1 release.
  • Calais Campbell said before season’s end he was not closing the door on playing an 18th NFL season, and the accomplished defensive lineman noted after the Dolphins‘ year wrapped (via ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that he will consider an age-39 slate. Campbell notched five sacks, and his 12 tackles for loss were his most since 2018. The Dolphins had him on their books for just $2MM this season, and after they nearly traded him back to the Ravens at the deadline, it stands to reason the Miami alum will look into landing with a contender soon.
  • Elsewhere on the Dolphins’ roster, both Jaelan Phillips and Austin Jackson are expected to be fine for the 2025 opener, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson tweets. Phillips, who suffered an Achilles tear in 2023 and a partially torn ACL this season, is going into his fifth-year option campaign. Jackson, who suffered a meniscus tear, is tied to a three-year, $36MM extension. Swing tackle Kendall Lamm is almost definitely set to depart in free agency, Jackson adds. The Dolphins’ Patrick Paul second-round draft choice had pointed the veteran elsewhere. That said, Grier said the Dolphins “are going to have to” invest in O-linemen this offseason. While the team has three higher-end tackle investments under contract, its interior situation is less solidified.
  • Staying with O-lines, Vrabel confirmed (via the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi) the Patriots‘ front will be a priority this offseason. This echoes a recent report that suggested OL and WR would be New England’s top target areas. The Pats struggled up front, with the loss of David Andrews and the left tackle carousel being among the issues. Vrabel leaned on the ground game in Tennessee, largely because of Derrick Henry‘s presence, but the Pats have by far the most cap space exiting the season. With questions existing just about everywhere outside of Michael Onwenu‘s presence (and even his position has fluctuated), allocating considerable resources up front seems likely as the Pats attempt to protect Maye.

Woody Johnson Vetoed Jets’ Trade For Jerry Jeudy Due To Madden Rating

December 22nd, 2024 at 1:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

DECEMBER 22: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports negotiations between the Jets and Broncos on a Jeudy trade never actually reached the point where a deal was imminent. Talks stopped once the previously-known offer including Lazard and a draft pick was made (one which, Florio adds, Denver was not interested in), with Jeudy ultimately being dealt to the Browns. Johnson’s involvement in trade talks ending is unclear based on this update, but an increased offer from Douglas would have been required for Jeudy to have wound up in New York.

DECEMBER 19: Most leaders use information and data from a wide variety of sources to drive their decision-making process. For Jets owner Woody Johnson, that apparently includes his video games and his teenage sons.

It came out after the firing of general manager Joe Douglas that Johnson vetoed the Jets’ acquisition of Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in exchange for Allen Lazard and a Day 2 pick. A month later, the reason for Johnson’s resistance was revealed (via The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver): Jeudy’s rating in EA Sports’ popular Madden video game series.

Jeudy started the 2023 season with an 83 rating in Madden 24 and dropped to an 81 by the offseason, when the trade was being negotiated. (Lazard, meanwhile, began the season at 78 and finished at 76.) This being a method of Jets operation this season would not exactly make working for Johnson especially appealing for HC and GM candidates moving forward, but the owner has made his voice known on several occasions this year. And he is not expected to leave for a role in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration in 2025.

In terms of real-life football, Jeudy was clearly the more productive receiver last year with 54 receptions on 87 targets for 758 yards (3.4 receptions and 47.4 yards per game). Lazard reeled in just 23 of his 49 targets for 311 yards (1.6 receptions and 22.2 yards per game). Lazard has been more effective this year, catching 31 of his 49 targets for 430 yards and five touchdowns, but Jeudy has been even better after being traded to the Browns with career-highs of 70 receptions and 1,052 yards.

The Broncos were believed to have been stunned why the trade talks broke down, as the teams were believed to have been deep in negotiations. Douglas is believed to have told Broncos brass of Johnson’s Madden-based reason for bailing on the trade, per Russini, Rosenblatt and Silver. Denver ended up flipping Jeudy for a lesser return — fifth- and sixth-round picks. The Jets ended up signing Mike Williams to a one-year, $10MM deal — months before unloading him at the deadline.

This is not the only time that a video game has influenced Johnson’s personnel desires. He also “pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster ‘awareness’ rating in Madden,” per The Athletic. Douglas signed Simpson to a two-year, $18MM deal anyway, and the veteran lineman has quietly earned the eighth-highest grade among NFL guards from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) with a $12MM valuation from OverTheCap for his play this year.

Jets executives have pointed to Johnson’s Madden obsession as evidence of disproportionate influence from his sons, Brick and Jack. They began sitting in on team meetings last year and frequently share posts and articles from social media with their father that are weighed against the advice of the Jets’ decision-makers. “I answer to teenagers,” said Douglas before the season, according to The Athletic.

Johnson’s sons have even violated the traditional sanctity of the Jets’ locker room, bringing friends and openly airing their criticism of the team. Brick Johnson even pre-empted Aaron Rodgers after the Jets’ Halloween win, their first after firing Robert Saleh four weeks prior. Rodgers intended to give a customary game ball to Jeff Ulbrich for his first victory as a head coach. Instead, Brick Johnson jumped into give a game ball to Garrett Wilson – complete with a profanity-laden exclamation for social media – and Woody Johnson took Rodgers’ ball to give to Ulbrich himself. One player called it “the most awkward, cringe-worthy, brutal experience.”

Even for a Jets team that has received a torrent of criticism, this would be new territory. Woody Johnson fired Saleh without going to Douglas and effectively stripped power from his GM this year, predictably preceding Douglas’ ouster weeks later. The owner has entrusted ex-GMs Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman to run the team’s HC search, though the owner obviously has the final call. Today’s revelations add a bizarre chapter to what has been one of the more eventful Jets years; this report coming as the team is conducting searches only adds to the strangeness surrounding this organization.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/24

December 7th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.

Jets To Activate Allen Lazard, Place C.J. Mosley On IR

December 6th, 2024 at 12:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets will have Allen Lazard back in the fold in time for Week 14, but they will not see C.J. Mosley again this season. The latter is headed to injured reserve, head coach Jeff Ulbrich announced on Friday.

Mosley has been dealing with a herniated disk in his neck, and he has been limited to only four games in 2024. The veteran linebacker said last month he intended to return after New York’s Week 12 bye, but that did not turn out to be the case. Now, his attention will turn to recovery for the 2025 campaign.

After opting out of the 2020 campaign, Mosley posted three consecutive seasons without a major injury issue while serving as a full-time starter. His success in that regard landed him a fresh set of guarantees via an extension this past March. Only some of the five-time Pro Bowler’s compensation for 2025 is locked in, however, leading to questions about his future with the Jets in the wake of his missed time this season.

Mosley, who will turn 33 next summer, agreed to a pay cut in exchange for the guarantees this year. With the Jets set to retool around a new coaching staff and GM, it is worth wondering if this will be it for the decorated linebacker in New York.

That said, the team inserted three void years into Mosley’s contract. With $4.25MM of Mosley’s $8.25MM base salary guaranteed for next year and the void years present, the Jets would take on considerable dead money by cutting their most experienced defender. It would cost the Jets $16.4MM in dead cap to release Mosley in 2025, though a post-June 1 designation would split that bill over two years. With new regimes less concerned about dead money coming from old contracts, this could be something to monitor still.

The Jets also activated offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer from IR, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Plenty has changed since Schweitzer was last on the roster; the veteran swingman went on IR with a hand injury after Week 1. Still, the Jets have seen him return to full strength. Schweitzer, 31, has not seen action in a game this season but will have a chance to suit up and play for another midlevel contract come 2025. The former Falcons and Commanders blocker is on track for free agency at season’s end.

Lazard would seem likely to be done in New York after this season. Although the ex-Packers pass catcher showed notable improvement from a disappointing 2023 thanks to Aaron Rodgers‘ return, his contract containing no guarantees beyond 2024 — along with the Rodgers-driven nature of his arrival — points to a 2025 exit. The Jets would save more than $6MM by cutting Lazard next year. One void year is on Lazard’s contract, which includes an $11MM base salary for next season. Lazard, 29 next week, has 30 receptions for 412 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Jets Open Practice Window For Allen Lazard, Wes Schweitzer

December 4th, 2024 at 2:50pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jets have opened the practice window for wide receiver Allen Lazard and offensive guard Wes Schweitzer to return from injured reserve, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Lazard landed on injured reserve at the end of October due to a chest injury after a solid start to the year. With 412 yards and five touchdowns in seven games, he already surpassed his 2023 production and was on pace for career-highs in both categories. Lazard was also leading the Jets’ receivers with a 63.6% receiving success rate and still made four catchs for 58 yards in Davante Adams‘ Jets debut despite the increased competition for targets.

Schweitzer was placed on injured reserve before Week 1 with a hand injury, his second year in a row with an IR stint after appearing in just six games in 2023. He started two games at right guard, plus fill-in duties at center and right guard in Week 8, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Jets are currently 3-9 with virtually no chance of making the playoffs, so returns from Lazard and Schweizter won’t have much of an impact. Lazard is still under contract for 2025 and 2026 but has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal, so he could be a cap casualty in the offseason. Schweizter, meanwhile, is set to be a free agent after this season. While neither player can change the course of the Jets’ season, returning to the field could be crucial for both players’ value in free agency this offseason.

Both Lazard and Schweizter will have three weeks to practice with the team before they must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.

Woody Johnson Nixed Jets Effort To Acquire Jerry Jeudy, Impeded Joe Douglas On Bryce Huff, Haason Reddick

November 20th, 2024 at 10:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets are barreling toward their 14th straight season wrapping without a playoff berth, and their Robert Saleh-Joe Douglas regime’s unraveling points to ownership having a more difficult time filling its HC and GM positions come 2025.

Woody Johnson‘s meddling has become an issue for the Jets. The longtime owner admitted he went around Douglas to fire Saleh, something that led to the sixth-year GM losing power during his final weeks on the job. Other Jets power brokers led the way in the Davante Adams trade and Haason Reddick resolution talks. Earlier this year, however, Johnson stood as a roadblock to Douglas’ efforts to improve the team’s roster in other ways.

We heard in March the Jets joined the Browns and Patriots in pursuing Jerry Jeudy. The then-Broncos wide receiver, a trade-block staple alongside ex-teammate Courtland Sutton, went to Cleveland for fifth- and sixth-round picks. Denver may well have obtained more for the former first-round pick had Douglas gotten his way.

The Jets are believed to have offered a Day 2 pick and Allen Lazard — a 2023 Broncos target — for Jeudy, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt, only to see Johnson nix any potential deal. Jeudy going into his age-25 season intrigued the Jets, who aimed to avoid aging players in this year’s free agency (subscription required). That did not end up happening, as Tyron Smith and Mike Williams joined trade pickup Morgan Moses in joining the Jets in March.

It would have been interesting if the Broncos were willing to acquire Lazard, who was still owed a fully guaranteed base salary ($10MM) this year. Lazard underwhelmed after receiving $22MM guaranteed at signing in 2023. Denver did end up giving Josh Reynolds a two-year, $9MM deal; Lazard would have been costlier. Jeudy, who would have joined Garrett Wilson and potentially affected the Jets’ interest in Adams, has since signed a Browns extension.

Weeks later, Douglas signed off on acquiring Reddick despite warnings from his camp the Jets should not trade for the talented edge rusher unless they wanted to extend him. As it turns out, Douglas appeared more open to an extension than he initially let on. Reddick had expressed frustration with the Jets, believing they would revisit extension talks. Douglas may well have been onboard here, per The Athletic, which attributes the resistance to extending the then-29-year-old EDGE to Johnson. Even as Johnson helped bring Reddick into the fold in October, he certainly looks to have prevented his then-GM from extending him this offseason.

Before the Jets zeroed in on Reddick, they let Bryce Huff walk. Huff joined the Eagles on a three-year, $51MM deal, but if Douglas had his way, the team may have made a stronger effort to re-sign the team’s 2023 sack leader. Johnson is believed to have blocked his GM from making an extension offer to Huff, whom many teams pursued once the Jets let him hit the market. We heard in early February no offer had come. This came months after Johnson is believed to have restricted his GM from making a stronger effort to replace Aaron Rodgers once the QB suffered an Achilles tear.

Johnson also drove an effort to have safety Tony Adams benched in Week 11, with Russini and Rosenblatt reinforcing the notion the owner has placed too much stock in social media assessments of his team. Rumblings recently pointed to Johnson listening to too many non-football staffers in making decisions. This offseason also featured multiple high-ranking Jets football ops staffers dismissed, with assistant GM Rex Hogan being fired and then player personnel director Chad Alexander becoming the Chargers’ assistant GM. Johnson prevented Douglas from replacing either staffer, Russini and Rosenblatt add. (For what it’s worth, some in the organization believed Hogan had been responsible for many leaks; though, a flood of leaks have come out in the months since.) The owner’s actions led Douglas to tell some remaining Jets staffers Johnson “should just fire me now.”

Also believed to have pushed for the Jets to bench Rodgers after the team’s Week 4 loss to the Broncos — to the point one coach, per The Athletic, asked if the owner was serious — Johnson will have a lot to answer for after this wildly disappointing Jets season.

The Jets are expected to part with Rodgers, whom coaches feared would be embarrassed had Johnson gotten his way with the benching request. After all, Johnson played a key role in Rodgers agreeing to put off retirement and agree to a Jets trade last year. Sitting him for Tyrod Taylor so early in his Achilles comeback would have been one of the more shocking developments in recent NFL history.

This increased meddling will not make it easier for the owner to find quality GM and HC options in 2025, but even as the former ambassador to the United Kingdom is in the mix to reclaim that post under the second Donald Trump administration (a move that would again leave Christopher Johnson as acting owner), Woody Johnson is set to lead the Jets’ searches to replace Saleh and Douglas.

Jets Place WR Allen Lazard On IR, Planning To Elevate K Riley Patterson

October 31st, 2024 at 2:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Jets are midway through a wildly disappointing (thus far, at least) season, Allen Lazard has bounced back. Productive thus far in his second Jets campaign, the multi-city Aaron Rodgers target will see that stretch pause.

The Jets are moving Lazard to IR because of a chest injury, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. As this will sideline Lazard for at least four games, it will be interesting to see if it affects the Jets’ interest in trading Mike Williams before the Nov. 5 deadline.

Lazard is tied to a four-year, $44MM deal that featured $22MM guaranteed at signing. The Jets have done plenty to appease Rodgers, having added three of his former Packers pass catchers (Lazard, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams). Lazard was the first of those to arrive, having communicated with his four-year Packers teammate about playing for the Jets together. That coordinated effort preceded Rodgers’ Achilles tear four plays into last season, and Lazard bottomed out, drifting to healthy-scratch status at a point and finishing with just 311 receiving yards.

This year, Lazard already has compiled 420 yards and scored five touchdowns. Receiving the most guaranteed money of any receiver in last year’s FA class, Lazard has not justified his contract. But he has moved back to being a useful player alongside Rodgers, as opposed to a borderline sunk cost in a Zach Wilson-centered offense. Two nonguaranteed years remain on Lazard’s deal.

Williams has come up as a trade chip since the Jets’ Adams pursuit, with that effort beginning in earnest upon the intra-AFC trade being completed. Williams has struggled mightily in New York, posting only 160 yards on 11 receptions though eight games. Williams, 30, may still be moved. But with this Jets regime on thin ice, it would also make sense if the team now stood pat at receiver to see if the former Chargers 1,000-yard weapon could be useful as a WR3 alongside Adams and Garrett Wilson. The Jets will deploy Williams once again tonight and have until Tuesday to decide about moving on.

Additionally, the Jets have chosen their Greg Zuerlein fill-in. Riley Patterson will be elevated for tonight’s Texans matchup, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. By far the more experienced of the two kickers Gang Green added to its practice squad (Spencer Shrader being the other), Patterson will have another chance after being waived twice — by the Jaguars and Commanders — this year.

Patterson served as the Jaguars’ kicker throughout the 2022 season and was the Lions’ top option for most of the ’23 slate. The Lions cut Patterson for a second time, however, pivoting to Michael Badgley in-season. Patterson caught on with the Jags via reserve/futures deal but ended up waived — following the team’s Cam Little sixth-round selection — and then washing out of Washington after a shaky preseason. Patterson has kicked in 39 career games; he made 15 of 17 field goals last season. Zuerlein, who is on IR with a knee injury, is just 9-for-15 this year.

Jets Unlikely To Cut WR Allen Lazard, Could Extend CB Michael Carter II

June 2nd, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw reports a couple weeks ago that the Jets would be open to trading away wide receiver Allen Lazard. One thing that’s become more than clear, though, is that New York won’t likely be cutting him anytime soon, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

The former undrafted free agent out of Iowa State signed a big four-year, $44MM contract to follow his quarterback from Green Bay to New York last year. After said quarterback was lost for the year, Lazard went on to put up his worst season since his rookie year. After seeing Lazard step up in 2022 as the Packers’ WR1 following Davante Adams‘ departure, the Jets were hoping Lazard would bring similar success returning to the WR2 role behind Garrett Wilson. While Lazard did just perform as the team’s WR2, he severely underperformed, catching 23 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown while getting outgained by running back Breece Hall and tight end Tyler Conklin.

One may shrug off that lack of production due to Aaron Rodgers‘ season-ending injury, but that excuse doesn’t lessen the impact of Lazard’s contract. With Lazard holding a $12.18MM cap hit in 2024, the Jets can hardly afford for the 28-year-old to repeat last year’s disappointment. Unfortunately, though, with his entire $10MM salary in 2024 already guaranteed, they can’t afford to release him, either. That’s why the team is okay trading him. At this point, trading him would only cost them $2.18MM in dead money while saving them $10MM in cap space; cutting Lazard would cost them all $12.18MM from the salary and prorated signing bonus, leaving the entire amount on their salary cap.

The team also acquired veteran free agent Mike Williams and drafted Western Kentucky receiver Malachi Corley in the third round of this year’s draft. Both players are currently projected to be above Lazard on the depth chart, making it far more difficult for Lazard to improve on his situation and production. Without the ability to release him, trading away the veteran wideout may be the only way to keep Lazard from eating up $10MM of cap space while spending the season as an off-the-bench role player in 2024.

On the other side of the ball, the Jets are showing a lot of interest in extending nickelback Michael Carter II. With higher-profile players like Sauce Gardner, C.J. Mosley, Quinnen Williams, and Jermaine Johnson getting most of the attention, Carter has quietly emerged as one of the top players at his position. Though Pro Football Focus doesn’t grade nickel cornerbacks separately from outside cornerbacks, Carter still ranked just nine spots behind Gardner as the 12th-best cornerback in the NFL. This was only a slight improvement over his placement at 19th in his sophomore campaign.

Now heading into the final year of his rookie deal, the Jets would prefer to get ahead of what could be yet another bout with unrestricted free agency next offseason. A few complications will stand in the way, though. The outside cornerback opposite Gardner, D.J. Reed, also graded out highly per PFF, slotting in at 19th last year, giving New York three cornerbacks in the top-20 in 2023. Reed is also entering a contract year, and Gardner will be eligible for a new contract the following year and will likely draw record-breaking numbers. The team also recently signed Isaiah Oliver who has been one of the league’s better slot cornerbacks in recent years. Although he is reportedly moving to the safeties room in New York, Oliver could slide back into his original position should the team opt not to pay Carter.

The league’s highest-paid nickelback is currently Taron Johnson on the Bills who is under a three-year, $33MM deal. That contract is identical in length and total value to Reed’s expiring deal, and after his top-20 performance in 2023, Reed may push that price up with a successful 2024 campaign. Throw in fact that Gardner’s future contract could push $23 or $24MM per year, and it’s going to be nearly impossible for the Jets to hold on to all three.

New York has some decisions to make in its cornerbacks room. Extending Carter may well be the cheapest of the three deals, but doing so may mark the end of Reed’s time with the Jets. With Gardner the clear, No. 1 priority, New York may be facing a decision of extending only one of either Carter or Reed.

WR Corey Davis Aiming For NFL Return; Jets Open To Trading Allen Lazard

March 14th, 2024 at 6:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

Corey Davis stepped away from football last August, putting pause on his Jets tenure and leading to questions about his NFL future. The veteran wideout has applied for reinstatement, though, per ESPN’s Field Yates.

As Yates’ report notes, the Jets were expected to release Davis from the reserve/retired list on Thursday; per a team announcement, that move has indeed been made. As such, the 29-year-old is now a free agent. Yates and others have noted, however, that a new agreement with New York could be in play.

Davis did not declare he was retiring at the time he announced his decision to leave the team temporarily. That absence proved to last the entire 2023 campaign, but he could receive interest from the Jets or outside teams over the coming days and weeks. The former fifth overall pick was attached to a three-year, $37.5MM deal signed in 2021.

The Jets invested in a number of ex-Aaron Rodgers teammates last offseason, including a lucrative deal for Allen Lazard. The former Packer inked a four-year, $44MM pact, one which led to major expectations with New York. Even with Rodgers tearing his Achilles in Week 1, Lazard proved to be an underwhelming addition in his debut Jets campaign. The 28-year-old was a healthy scratch in November, and he also sat the final two weeks of the campaign. 2023 may prove to be Lazard’s only campaign in New York.

The Jets are open to dealing Lazard, Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic report. The former UDFA is owed $10MM guaranteed in 2024, and he is set to have a cap hit of $13.18MM in 2025 and ’26. Given the disappointing nature of his season last year, it would come as a surprise if teams showed much interest in swinging a deal for Lazard. New York is not actively shopping him at this time, Connor Hughes of SNY notes.

The Jets struggled mightily on offense after Rodgers went down, ranking 30th in passing yards per game. A healthy Rodgers (and a new backup quarterback in the form of Tyrod Taylor) would go a long way toward helping the team’s efforts to rebound from 2023. A better receiver corps would be beneficial as well, of course. It will be interesting to see if Davis is retained on a new deal and if Lazard remains in the fold for 2024.

Jets HC Robert Saleh Addresses Allen Lazard Benching

November 26th, 2023 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard was a healthy scratch in Friday’s loss to the Dolphins, and when asked about the decision after the game, head coach Robert Saleh did not mince words.

“He hasn’t been playing up to his standard,” Saleh said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “Everyone is pressing on that side of the ball to make something happen. There are parts of his game that need to get better.”

Lazard himself expressed his belief that he would return for the team’s Week 13 matchup with the Falcons, and Saleh did say that the first-year Jet“will be back sooner rather than later.” Still, the fact that Lazard found himself benched at a time when Gang Green’s offense is unable to muster much production of any kind does not bode well for his future with the club.

Saleh’s comments in that regard were particularly telling. Although the head coach said Lazard is “going to be a part of this,” he also said that Lazard is “going to be here for the next year-and-a-half.” Of course, Lazard signed a four-year, $44MM contract in the offseason that keeps him under club control through 2026.

That suggests that the Jets plan to move on from Lazard after the 2024 season, which Florio believes will happen. Contractually, New York has no choice but to retain Lazard next year, as his $10MM base salary for 2024 is fully-guaranteed, and even a post-June 1 release will not yield a single dollar of savings on the 2024 ledger.

Obviously, the team is also hoping that Lazard will be a key component of an Aaron Rodgers-piloted offense next year, and if that happens, perhaps the soon-to-be 28-year-old receiver will be able to extend his stay with the Jets (he is due non-guaranteed base salaries of $11MM in 2025 and 2026). In the meantime, Lazard will try to work his way back into the coaching staff’s good graces and create a connection with the club’s new starting quarterback, Tim Boyle.

Through 10 Zach Wilson-led games in 2023, Lazard has posted 20 catches for 290 yards and a touchdown.

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