Corey Davis stepped away from football last August, putting pause on his Jets tenure and leading to questions about his NFL future. The veteran wideout has applied for reinstatement, though, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
As Yates’ report notes, the Jets were expected to release Davis from the reserve/retired list on Thursday; per a team announcement, that move has indeed been made. As such, the 29-year-old is now a free agent. Yates and others have noted, however, that a new agreement with New York could be in play.
Davis did not declare he was retiring at the time he announced his decision to leave the team temporarily. That absence proved to last the entire 2023 campaign, but he could receive interest from the Jets or outside teams over the coming days and weeks. The former fifth overall pick was attached to a three-year, $37.5M deal signed in 2021.
The Jets invested in a number of ex-Aaron Rodgers teammates last offseason, including a lucrative deal for Allen Lazard. The former Packer inked a four-year, $44M pact, one which led to major expectations with New York. Even with Rodgers tearing his Achilles in Week 1, Lazard proved to be an underwhelming addition in his debut Jets campaign. The 28-year-old was a healthy scratch in November, and he also sat the final two weeks of the campaign. 2023 may prove to be Lazard’s only campaign in New York.
The Jets are open to dealing Lazard, Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic report. The former UDFA is owed $10M guaranteed in 2024, and he is set to have a cap hit of $13.18M in 2025 and 2026. Given the disappointing nature of his season last year, it would come as a surprise if teams showed much interest in swinging a deal for Lazard. New York is not actively shopping him at this time, Connor Hughes of SNY notes.
The Jets struggled mightily on offense after Rodgers went down, ranking 30th in passing yards per game. A healthy Rodgers (and a new backup quarterback in the form of Tyrod Taylor) would go a long way toward helping the team’s efforts to rebound from 2023. A better receiver corps would be beneficial as well, of course. It will be interesting to see if Davis is retained on a new deal and if Lazard remains in the fold for 2024.
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