NY Jets could be stuck with Allen Lazard after striking out in WR market

When the NY Jets made the decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers this offseason, the expectation is that he wouldn't be the only former Green Bay Packers player to leave. Most assumed that longtime teammates and close friends of Rodgers, Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, would follow him out the door.

Adams followed suit, as he was released by the Jets earlier this month. The six-time Pro Bowler has since signed a two-year, $46 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams, officially ending a brief and disappointing chapter of his career in New York.

The same can't be said for Lazard, who remains on the Jets' roster one day after the unofficial start of free agency. The Jets reportedly gave Lazard permission to seek a trade last week, although the assumption was that he would inevitably be released.

That report also suggested that the Jets remained "open to bringing him back" in 2025, but few believed that to be true. Everyone expected — and possibly still expects — the Jets to move on from Lazard and officially put an end to the Rodgers era.

But what if that doesn't happen? There's a legitimate case to keep Lazard on the roster entering 2025, and it has to do with the razor-thin wide receiver market in free agency.

NY Jets could keep Allen Lazard after missing out on top free-agent wide receiver targets

This year's free-agent market is scarily thin at the wide receiver position. Many of the top names are aging veterans who the Jets aren't expected to have interest in, like Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, and DeAndre Hopkins.

The Jets are searching for younger mid-tier wide receiver targets who fit their current timeline. Unfortunately, most of those players have already been signed.

Josh Palmer agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Buffalo Bills on Monday. Darius Slayton is returning to the New York Giants on a three-year deal of his own. Even Dyami Brown signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

All three of those players were connected to the Jets, especially Palmer, who was reportedly a top target. With those three off the board, the Jets' options to upgrade a very weak wide receiver room are scarce.

Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine might be the only remaining wide receiver in free agency who both fits the profile of player the Jets are looking for and could potentially move the needle.

It's also possible the Jets could add an older, cheap veteran like Demarcus Robinson or Tim Patrick, the latter of whom many expect the team to sign. But the reality of the Jets' situation is they need at least 2-3 new wide receivers if they move on from Lazard.

Without Lazard, the Jets' top two wide receivers behind Garrett Wilson are Xavier Gipson and Malachi Corley. The remaining four wide receivers under contract have caught a combined one pass in their NFL careers.

RELATED: NY Jets 2025 Free Agency Tracker: Live updates, analysis of every move

Of course, the Jets could always address the position in the 2025 NFL Draft, but teams never want to pigeonhole themselves into targeting one specific position. It's always better to have flexibility.

That's why it could make some sense to keep Lazard on the roster at this stage. The ex-Packers wideout is far from a perfect player, having led the NFL in drop rate in each of the last two seasons. He's not a particularly appealing WR2 or even WR3 candidate, but he might legitimately be the Jets' best option.

If the Jets can land two quality wide receivers in free agency like Westbrook-Ikhine and Patrick, then it probably makes sense to cut ties with Lazard. But if they continue to strike out, there's a real world where Lazard remains with the Jets in 2025.

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