Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk previously reported that the Steelers are “in play” to trade for Jets WR Allen Lazard after they sent WR George Pickens to the Cowboys.
This was due to the obvious connection between Lazard and QB Aaron Rodgers, who has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has yet to add another notable receiver since moving Pickens, but they are meeting with free agent WR Gabe Davis.
There has been some recent speculation about Lazard ending up with the Steelers. However, Florio now reports Lazard “sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback.”
Lazard would fit more of a run-heavy offense due to his size and blocking, so it’s no guarantee that the Jets would even want to trade him at this point.
Lazard followed Rodgers from Green Bay to the Jets a couple of seasons ago and was expected to depart New York along with Rodgers before the two sides agreed to a reworked deal for 2025 to lower his salary.
That deal would not prevent a trade, however, as long as Rodgers does eventually sign with the Steelers and the two teams can work something out.
Lazard, 29, wound up signing on with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa State back in 2018. He agreed to a three-year, $1.71 million contract with the Jaguars, but was waived coming out of the preseason.
The Jaguars later re-signed Lazard to their practice squad after he cleared waivers before the Packers signed him to their active roster toward the end of the 2018 season. He was re-signed by the Packers as an exclusive rights free agent the following two offseasons and was tendered at the second-round level as a restricted free agent in 2022.
Lazard signed a four-year, $44 million contract with $22 million guaranteed with the Jets in 2023.
He was due base salaries of $11 million in each of the final two years of the deal when he agreed to a significant pay cut and to lop off the final year of the deal, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
In 2024, Lazard appeared in 12 games for the Jets and recorded 37 receptions on 60 targets for 530 yards and six touchdowns.
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