Like a number of other teams, the Packers held their mandatory minicamp this past week. Attendance wasn’t an issue from a legal perspective, but there was a notable absence nevertheless. Wideout Allen Lazard was not with the team, as noted by ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Lazard found himself as a restricted free agent for the second straight year earlier this offseason. After going undrafted, the 26-year-old found a home with the Packers in 2018. One season later, he emerged as a complimentary part of Green Bay’s offense, putting up similar numbers in 2020 as well. That led to the Packers placing the exclusive-rights free agent tender on him, which he signed in July.
Playing on the one-year deal, the Iowa State product put up career-highs across the board. Seeing the field for considerably more snaps than previous campaigns, he totalled 40 catches, 513 yards and eight touchdowns. The Packers rewarded that production by placing the second-round RFA tender on him in March, setting him up for a 2022 salary of just under $4M. As explained by Demovsky, however, Lazard has yet to sign that tender, meaning he wasn’t required to attend minicamp.
Given the fact that Green Bay’s receiver room now no longer includes Davante Adams or Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Lazard could be in line for another career year. The team has added Sammy Watkins in free agency, along with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs in the draft, but much of the offense figures to run through the four-year veteran. With more cap space remaining than most other teams in the league, the Packers could absorb the value of the tender should Lazard sign it, but they would also be able to afford a long-term deal, if that is Lazard’s aim. With the team’s offseason having concluded until training camp, this will remain a situation worth watching in the coming weeks.
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