The Allen Lazard era with the Jets finally came to an end on Tuesday.
Gang Green is releasing the 30-year-old receiver after three disappointing seasons with the club, according to a league source. Lazard’s release was first reported by Pro Football Talk.
The two sides mutually agreed to the split and Lazard hopes to land with a playoff team after the Jets (3-11) have been eliminated from postseason contention for weeks.
To say Lazard, who signed a four-year, $44 million contract in 2023, is one of the biggest free agent busts in Jets history would be an understatement. His signing was designed to help the Jets land Aaron Rodgers in a trade and compete for a Super Bowl after the two played five seasons in Green Bay. While they acquired Rodgers a month after signing Lazard, the Jets weren’t anywhere close to contenders with the two on the roster.
Rodgers, of course, tore his Achilles tendon four snaps into his Jets debut in September 2023, and the Jets never got on track after that. After finishing 7-10 in 2023 and 5-12 in 2024, the Jets released Rodgers after two seasons.
It was expected that Lazard would also be released, but he accepted an $8.75 million pay cut last spring to remain on the team. He was scheduled to become a free agent following this season after the Jets voided the final year of his contract.
In three seasons with the Jets, Lazard recorded 70 receptions for 911 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a healthy scratch in four games this season, and Lazard didn’t have an active role offensively after the Jets have been using Adonai Mitchell, John Metchie III, and Isaiah Williams as their receivers in recent weeks while Garrett Wilson remains on injured reserve.
Wilson hasn’t been ruled out for the season by Jets coach Aaron Glenn, but with three games remaining, it seems unlikely he will play again in 2025.
