Steelers might land obvious Jets WR if Aaron Rodgers has his way

The NY Jets might be done with the Aaron Rodgers era after parting ways with the veteran quarterback in the offseason, but some remnants of that time are still hanging around on this roster, chief among them Allen Lazard.

Lazard might be in line to compete with Josh Reynolds for the role of WR2 in new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand's attack, but there is an equally real future in which the Jets decide that his contract and drop problems are no longer worth the hassle.

Despite the fact that Lazard is a very limited player, Rodgers continues to have an affinity for him. With the future Hall of Famer likely to join the Pittsburgh Steelers at some point in the near future, it appears as though he is trying to work out some way to get his safety valve in Lazard to make the trip with him.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that Lazard is "in play" for the Steelers. After promoting him in Green Bay and seemingly luring him to New York before any sort of official declaration, Rodgers is trying to get his de facto right-hand man to link up with him in black and gold.

Jets trading Allen Lazard to Steelers "in play"

While Lazard was much better in 2024 than he was during the Rodgers-less season in 2023, he was far from an elite player. In 12 games last year, Lazard caught 37 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns despite getting his production nerfed when Davante Adams came to town.

In Pittsburgh, Rodgers' best weapons outside of Metcalf would be tight end Pat Freiermuth. Austin is not a productive WR2 in the NFL at this point in his career and Roman Wilson is working his way back from injury. Rodgers is coming off a year in which his Jets offense was dead last in the league in rushing attempts.

The Jets' wide receiver room outside of Garrett Wilson is going to be wretched with or without Lazard this season, and this new regime doesn't want to tie themselves to one of Nathaiel Hackett's top guys. A Lazard trade after his pay cut could help the Jets recoup a Day 3 pick while letting young players get some extra shine.