Jets Restructure Lazard As Potential Trade Looms

The consequences of the Aaron Rodgers era of New York Jets football will be among the biggest hurdles general manager Darren Mougey will have to clear in Year 1 of his administration. Nowhere was this more clear than at receiver, where the Jets acquired four former Green Bay Packers in two seasons.

Earlier in the offseason, New York released Davante Adams, incurring an $8.36 million dead cap charge for the right to watch him play for the Los Angeles Rams. Handing out a bad contract to Allen Lazard didn’t earn the team any more optimism at receiver, either, although on Thursday the team acted to mitigate the damage of his deal.

The Jets restructured his contract, according to Over the Cap, serving Lazard an $8.5 million pay cut.

“Jets and wide receiver Allen Lazard reached agreement on a restructured contract, as @Jason_OTC reported,” Adam Schefter posted. “Lazard, who was scheduled to earn $11 million in 2025, took an $8.5 million pay cut to remain under contract with the Jets, who are guaranteeing $1.75 million of his salary for the upcoming season.”

This update can prove to be meaningful for two reasons. First, it’s much easier to swallow Lazard’s production with so little guaranteed money. He generated 530 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 and the catastrophic quarterbacking situation a year prior saw him catch just 23 passes. Lazard won’t project as a key part of the offense and he almost certainly wasn’t going to make good on $11 million. Yet, it’s hard to find a bad one-year, $1.75 million deal.

Further, Lazard’s contract is fairly movable. It’s far too early to predict trades with much precision, but Rodgers is still the favorite to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers, of course, is no stranger to bringing his friends along for the ride.

Pittsburgh can use the depth, Rodgers would appreciate the comfort, and New York stands to gain some compensatory Day 3 pick for his services. A deal might be more likely after June 1, when the dead money from a potential trade drops from $6.5 million to $2.2 million, and doing so would open up more snaps for younger receivers and/or a hypothetical rookie.

Lazard isn’t going to be on the next good Jets team. If Rodgers does sign with the Steelers, there’s reason to believe a late-offseason trade could be in play.