Jets' Allen Lazard released after three unproductive seasons

When Allen Lazard signed with the Jets in March 2023, it trumpeted the not-yet-finalized arrival of Aaron Rodgers.

Lazard was one of several squires with Green Bay lineage who joined forces with their quarterback here in an attempt to change the fortunes of the franchise. He was so closely tied to Rodgers after five successful years with him and the Packers that he admitted to being nervous that he’d made a mistake in coming to New York while the trade for the future Hall of Famer was being hammered out in the days after he signed.

Turns out it was a mistake. It just wasn’t all Lazard’s.

Of course that surge of acquisitions, which also included Randall Cobb, Billy Turner, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and eventually even Davante Adams, didn’t quite work out and in less than two calendar years Rodgers, nearly all of his cronies and just about everyone else associated with the flail of the century, had departed.

Lazard, however, remained, serving more as an odd relic of that era and a reminder of what could have been than as a productive wide receiver for a team that was rebuilding from the ground up.

But now he is gone, too.

The Jets announced that Lazard was released on Tuesday. It was a mutually agreed upon decision that stemmed from his request, a source confirmed to Newsday. His departure officially cleanses the Jets of that final link to Rodgers and ends the tenure of one of their worst free-agent signings in recent memory. Lazard had just 10 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown this season and had been a healthy scratch in four games as the Jets increasingly relied on recently acquired young players AD Mitchell and John Metchie III as receivers and rookie tight end Mason Taylor in their passing attack.

It was a surprise Lazard lasted as long as he did, all the while contributing little on or off the field. On a team in which new coach Aaron Glenn stressed culture, buy-in and doing whatever it takes to help the organization win, Lazard seemingly offered none of those elements.

Lazard never lived up to the four-year, $44 million contract he signed with the Jets, one that will go down in infamy among the many busts they have added over the years. It wasn’t quite on the scale of Le’Veon Bell or Corey Davis, but in his three seasons in New York Lazard totaled just 70 catches for 911 yards and eight touchdowns. He wound up earning around $24 million of that $44 million during his time with the Jets mostly because he took an $8.75 million pay cut to remain with the team this season. Those new terms also had him becoming a free agent this coming offseason, so now he can get a jump on that.

Once he clears waivers, the 30-year-old Lazard will be a free agent able to sign with any team in the league and almost certainly will want to sign with a team poised to make a playoff run in the next two months.

Hey, anybody know how Rodgers and the Steelers are doing this season?

When he spoke in the preseason, Lazard said he wanted to stay with the Jets to prove he can be a top receiver without Rodgers.

“My success isn’t determined off of who’s throwing me the ball [or] how we’re trying to approach it,” Lazard said in August. “There’s a reason why I’m still here. It’s not just because I had Aaron Rodgers throwing me the ball my whole life.”

Add that theory to the many miscalculations that marked Lazard’s time here.

QB shuffling continues

The other telling roster move the Jets made on Tuesday was the release of quarterback Adrian Martinez, an indication that either Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor will be healthy enough to play on Sunday against the Saints. Martinez was added to the practice squad last week when those two veterans were sidelined and rookie Brady Cook started against the Jaguars. Cook threw for 176 yards and a touchdown but also had three interceptions in the 48-20 loss.

Fields, who has been scratched the last two games with discomfort in his knee, was benched last month in favor of Taylor, who injured his groin in the loss to the Dolphins two weeks ago. Fields, who did some running during practices last week, seemed closer to a return than Taylor, who hasn’t been seen during the workouts since he left the game on Dec. 7, but with the Jets eliminated and only three games left it may make sense for them to stick with Cook and find out if he can develop into an asset for the team as a future backup or potential starter.

Glenn said on Monday he would wait to see who was available to play this week before announcing a starter. “I'm going to make sure this thing plays out the way it needs to play out,” Glenn said.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.