Former Packers WR Allen Lazard is a healthy scratch for the Jets

Half a season into his $44 million contract, Allen Lazard not only has been benched but deactivated from the New York Jets’ game day roster entirely.

2023 has panned out quite like the New York Jets had planned. Obviously, the biggest factor for their lack of success this year is the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon just a few plays into the regular season. With that being said, building a team around the assumption that Rodgers was going to be under center for the Jets seems to have bitten New York in multiple ways.

One example of this is the lack of playing time for receiver Randall Cobb, who Rodgers famously advocated for in Green Bay. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has stated in the past that Cobb would not have returned to the team if not for Rodgers’ vocal support for the receiver. On the season, Cobb has three receptions and hasn’t played a snap for the Jets since Week 6 — while still taking up a roster spot on the squad.

Now, Allen Lazard is becoming dead weight for New York. Just a few months after signing a four-year, $44 million contract with the Jets, Lazard is now a healthy scratch against the Miami Dolphins on Black Friday. This season, Lazard was only able to crack the 50-yard mark once in an individual game. Over the last three weeks, Lazard has averaged just 11.7 yards per game — despite playing 168 offensive snaps over that period of time.

The Jets’ loss is the Packers’ gain in multiple ways here. For one, Lazard’s significant contract is expected to earn Green Bay a fourth-round compensatory draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Second, the more losses the Jets accrue, the higher the second-round draft choice that New York will be sending the Packers for Rodgers in 2024.

Sitting with a 4-6 record in the highly competitive AFC, if a Tim Boyle-led Jets squad adds another loss today that could very well be the nail in the coffin on a potential Rodgers return this season — as there seems to be no reason for Rodgers to risk re-injury for a squad that has relatively no playoff aspirations.

Frustrated fans consistently point out that the Packers haven’t used a first-round pick at the receiver position, but the team’s young group of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and even Malik Heath have been playing well as of lately. Based on how Cobb and Lazard have panned out in New York, it’s clear that the team made the right decision to move on from those pass-catchers this offseason.