When the New York Jets was in the process of acquiring Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers, the team was willing to sign multiple players that the quarterback wanted to play with. The most obvious ones were Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard—you can also add offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to this list.
Cobb spent only a season in New York, and Hackett was fired, but Lazard signed a big four-year, $44 million deal in free agency. After two years without the production the parties expected, Lazard will most likely be out before the start of next season. But so far, he is still on the roster.
Why Lazard is still on the Jets
When a player is released from his contract in the NFL, the remaining proration of his deal accelerates into the current season, leaving behind an amount that is called dead money.
But when the release happens after June 1st, the acceleration happens in the following season. That’s why the NFL ultimately created the post-June 1st designation. This way, teams don’t need to wait four months into the offseason to make a move, allowing the player to go back to the market during the most viable period of free agency.
However, each team can only apply the designation twice per year. And the Jets have already done it with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker CJ Mosley. Therefore, Lazard can’t be cut with a third designation.
The Jets gave the receiver permission to seek a trade, but it’s unrealistic that another team will want to absorb his contract or give up any draft compensation for him.
This means the Jets will probably just wait until June 2, and then make the move to release Lazard from his deal.
Why it matters
If the Jets cut or trade Allen Lazard right now, the team would have $6.552 million in dead money, so the cap savings in 2025 would be $6.632 million.
By waiting, the Jets will have only $2.184 million in dead money this year, clearing up $11 million in cap space. The remaining $4.368 million in dead money will hit the cap in 2026.
There are pros and cons to this approach. The good thing is that the extra cap will be available this year, and if the Jets don’t use it, they can carry it over for next season to pay the bill anyway. So, it’s added flexibility in 2025.
The drawback is that the cap savings won’t be available before June. But that’s actually not a big problem, since the Jets made every move they wanted and still have $27.778 million in cap space available.
Performance
Allen Lazard played two seasons on the Jets. The first one was even tougher because Aaron Rodgers got hurt, and the receiver had only 23 catches for 311 yards, and one touchdown. Last season, it was slightly (but not that much) better, with 30 receptions for 412 yards, and five touchdowns.
Undrafted in 2018, Allen Lazard was initially signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Green Bay Packers signed Lazard off the Jaguars’ practice squad in 2018, and he played more than four seasons there before hitting free agency and signing with the Jets in 2023. Lazard’s most productive season was 2022, his last in Green Bay, with 60 catches for 788 yards and six touchdowns.