Jets Rumors: Packers FA Allen Lazard Agrees to $44M Contract amid Rodgers Trade Buzz

Wide receiver Allen Lazard has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the New York Jets, ending a five-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers, according to Jordan Schultz of The Score.

The deal comes as the Jets have reportedly been attempting to land Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a trade.

According to ESPN's Dianna Russini, Lazard was one of the names on the free-agent wish list Rodgers gave the Jets:

Of note, Lazard, Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis each played with Rodgers in Green Bay last season.

Lazard caught 60 passes for 788 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He served as the team's No. 1 wide receiver after the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.

He's a reliable possession receiver who's developed a solid rapport with Rodgers, catching 65.3 percent of targets over his five-year career. The former Iowa State star stands 6'5" and 227 pounds, providing a big target downfield.

Lazard entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he did not make the active roster out of training camp and landed on the practice squad. The Packers signed him off the Jaguars' practice squad in 2018.

Lazard emerged in 2019 as the Packers' No. 2 receiver, amassing 35 receptions, 477 yards and three touchdowns. He followed that up with 33 catches, 451 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games in 2020 despite missing a month-and-a-half following core muscle surgery.

He finished second on the team with 513 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 40 catches in 2021. Lazard then signed a one-year tender offer before the 2022 season to stay with the Packers.

Losing Lazard means that Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs should be thrust into the spotlight as Green Bay's top two wide receivers. It remains to be seen if either one can develop into a bona fide No. 1 wideout, but Watson showed flashes of doing that in 2022 en route to a team-high seven touchdowns. Still, the Packers are now down a reliable possession receiver and must find a replacement for his talents.

As for the Jets, landing one of Rodgers' favorite targets may be a sign of things to come.