Jets Popular Trade Rumor Isn't Guaranteed For New York

The New York Jets were busy early on this offseason cutting ties with the old guard.

New York moved on from Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams among many others. The Jets moved on from the Rodgers era rather quickly but one guy who was brought in thanks in large part to the future Hall of Famer is still in town. Allen Lazard was brought to town after spending time with Rodgers as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers trusted him and he has been a solid piece for the Jets' receiver room since.

When the Jets were moving on from Rodgers and Adams, it also was reported that Lazard was given permission to seek a trade. A deal didn't get done and he has since restructured his deal to stay with the Jets.

As rumors built up about Rodgers' potentially joining the Pittsburgh Steelers, many tied Lazard to the franchise as well. Rodgers has signed with Pittsburgh and unsurprisingly that has picked up the chatter once again. But, Pro Football Focus' Mike Florio made it sound like a deal isn't going to happen.

"Earlier this year, Lazard gave up $8.5 million in non-guaranteed pay for 2025 to stay with the Jets. In return, he’ll be a free agent after the upcoming season," Florio said. "Per a source with knowledge of Lazard’s thinking, he sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback. With the Jets planning a run-heavy offense under new coach Aaron Glenn (and new quarterback Justin Fields), there’s a premium on receiver blocking. At six feet, five inches and 225 pounds, Lazard fits that role perfectly.

"That doesn’t mean Lazard would reject the opportunity to play with Rodgers again. But it’s not an automatic, knee-jerk, no-brainer. Lazard, at the end of the day, may prefer to make his own path. Especially since he hopes to continue his career beyond 2025. He has a much better chance of doing that if he can take advantage of his opportunity with the Jets to prove that he can thrive without Rodgers as his quarterback."