Jets may have a viable trade partner for wide receiver Allen Lazard

After finishing 17th in passing yards (218.5 yards per game) in 2024, the New York Jets have seen a ton of movement on the offensive side of the ball that will certainly impact their passing attack next season.

Not only did New York move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers after two years, but they also released top receiver Davante Adams and watched him land a two-year, $44 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams.

With signing wideouts Tyler Johnson from the Rams and Josh Reynolds from the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jets may not be done at the position. New York could also move on from Allen Lazard, and with the Pittsburgh Steelers dealing George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, they might be the perfect landing spot for the veteran.

Lazard, 29, played collegiately at Iowa State from 2014-17, earning All-Big 12 honors in his final three seasons with the Cyclones before going undrafted in the 2018 NFL draft.

After a brief stint with the Jaguars, Lazard caught on with the Green Bay Packers. In his five seasons in Green Bay, he appeared in 57 games and caught 169 passes for 2,236 yards and 20 touchdowns.

In 2023, Lazard inked a four-year, $44 million contract with the Jets, and after catching 23 passes for 311 yards and one score in 14 games in his first season with Gang Green, he hauled in another 37 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games in 2024.

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Pro Football Focus gave Lazard a 63.9 receiving grade for his efforts last season, ranking him 78th out of 98 qualified NFL receivers.

Without Pickens in Pittsburgh, they have DK Metcalf, Robert Woods, Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller as their top four wideouts. That room isn't terrible, but adding Lazard could help, especially if they end up signing Rodgers as their starting quarterback before the year starts.

New York may be willing to move on from Lazard after agreeing to a restructured contract that included an $8.5 million pay cut. If they were to trade the veteran wideout after June 1, they could save $2.43 million in cap space in 2025 (per Over the Cap). 

They'd then have Garrett Wilson, Reynolds, Johnson, Malachi Corley and 2025 fourth-round pick Arian Smith as their top four wideouts for Justin Fields.

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