The New York Jets are looking to make serious changes to the wide receiving corps.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that the green and white have made veteran wideout Allen Lazard “available in trade talks this offseason.”
Rosenblatt explained that Lazard is “due a $10 million salary” in 2024. If Gang Green was able to move him, they would save $3.4 million right now (or $10 million post-June 1) on the cap.
The #Jets have made Allen Lazard available in trade talks this offseason, multiple team and league sources tell me and @DMRussini.
Lazard is due a $10 million salary this season. The Jets would save $3.4M (or $10M post-June 1) by trading him.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 14, 2024
Lazard is due a $10 million salary this season. The Jets would save $3.4M (or $10M post-June 1) by trading him.
Lazard joined the Jets during the 2023 offseason when he signed a four-year deal for $44 million.
Lazard Is Among the Biggest Free Agency Busts in Jets History
Attempting to trade away your top free agent less than a year after signing him to a monster contract is never good news.
There were huge expectations thrust on Lazard after he signed the largest contract of any wide receiver in free agency in 2023. For a variety of reasons, his first season in green and white was a complete flop.
He finished with 23 receptions for 311 receiving yards and caught just a single touchdown. That set new career lows in every major statistical category in a season in which he appeared in at least two games.
Not only was the statistical production poor, but Lazard had issues with the team. So much so that the former Iowa State product was benched and made a healthy scratch on multiple occasions down the stretch.
After the Week 12 Jets versus Miami Dolphins game, head coach Robert Saleh uncharacteristically put Lazard on blast.
“Allen was down obviously that was my decision [to make him a healthy scratch],” Saleh said. “He’s going to be here for a long time… [Saleh pauses] For the next year and a half he is going to be a part of this.”
Saleh seemingly made a Freudian slip with his year-and-a-half comment. Lazard signed a four-year deal so in theory, he would be here for the next three years after 2023. However, Saleh brought up the timeframe when the Jets would be able to get out of the contract with a minimal dead cap hit. Saleh accidentally said the quiet part out loud.
Saleh said part of the decision to bench Lazard was “kind of a challenge to see if he can re-capture the edge and who he is and the person we have a lot of faith in.”
Wow… #Jets HC Robert Saleh officially put WR Allen Lazard on notice following the #Dolphins game talking to @JosinaAnderson:
‘Obviously my decision [to make him a healthy scratch], he’s going to be here for the next year & a half’ 🧐 Lazard signed a 4-year deal for $44 million… pic.twitter.com/PzCXDdIWRl
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) November 24, 2023
A few days later Lazard seemingly made excuses for his struggles this season and deflected blame when he was speaking with the media.
Yikes I’m sure this will go over well…
Rich Cimini of ESPN asked #Jets WR Allen Lazard how he thinks he has performed this year:
‘I think everyone would agree that we haven’t reached our expectations or our goals as far as individuals & collectively as a group & there’s… pic.twitter.com/V4fyMgaji2
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) November 29, 2023
Jets Will Have a Very Difficult Time Finding a Suitor for Lazard
The Jets attempting to move on so quickly from a big-time free agent is a red flag to any team that might be considering a trade.
Connor Hughes of SNY posted on social media that “While Jets WR Allen Lazard’s name came up in trade discussion, the team is not actively shopping him.”
While #Jets WR Allen Lazard’s name came up in trade discussion, the team is not actively shopping him, sources say
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 14, 2024
Some fans interpreted Hughes’ update as a shot at the initial reporting from The Athletic but he quickly clarified that.
“No. Dianna & Zack had that he was in trade talks — yes. The Jets are not actively trying to dump him, though. Two different things,” Hughes explained.
No. Dianna & Zack had that he was in trade talks — yes. The Jets are not actively trying to dump him, though. Two different things. https://t.co/JkiIt2CmQz
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 14, 2024
Although this seems like a fancy way of saying the Jets tried trading Lazard but they didn’t find any takers. If he came up in trade talks this offseason, those must have been initiated by the green and white.
What team in their right mind would actively reach out to the Jets to gauge the interest of a player who performed so poorly and was criticized for his lack of effort?
For now the Jets are stuck with Lazard unless another team emerges to save them from it.
