Allen Lazard is under contract here. So for the Jets and the Steelers and a trade, “Lazard’s thinking” should be immaterial.
The New York Jets are long removed from the Aaron Rodgers saga – and happily so.
Two years of drama and disappointment bore no fruit for the franchise and they have turned the opposite way with new leadership and a new quarterback under center.
Meanwhile, Rodgers waited for months to choose his next career move. Once things became too painstakingly obvious, he finally signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in early June.
Now the Steelers get their turn dealing with the Rodgers circus though they had few options elsewhere to find their starting quarterback.
If there is one thing to take away from the last few years of Rodgers’ career without diving into the polarizing antics that come with him, he fervently enjoys playing with a familiar group of receivers.
When he went to the Jets, the team surrounded him with a company of such players, including Davante Adams. Allen Lazard also falls into that category, having played with Rodgers on the Green Bay Packers before joining him in New York.
As the Rodgers saga dragged on there was a belief that his buddy could join him in the Steel City. However, that may not be the case as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio expressed the belief Lazard may want to go his own way and prove himself with the Jets.
“Per a source with knowledge of Lazard’s thinking, he sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback,” Florio wrote. “With the Jets planning a run-heavy offense under new coach Aaron Glenn (and new quarterback Justin Fields), there’s a premium on receiver blocking. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, Lazard fits that role perfectly.”
There are two components missing in this thinking, however.
Lazard is under contract here. “Lazard’s thinking” should be immaterial. Also, a “blocking receiver” is hardly a commodity if a losing team can flip him for a pick.
Rodgers can – and probably will ask – that his old pal land in Pittsburgh. But he’s not the Jets’ “unofficial assistant GM” anymore, so his vote no longer counts in New York, either.