Former Iowa State Star Reportedly Makes Surprising Aaron Rodgers Decision

Former Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Allen Lazard has certainly had an interesting NFL career. While he has definitely enjoyed some strong seasons, there is one common denominator for him: he was catching passes from Aaron Rodgers those years.

Lazard spent the first five years of his career playing alongside of Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers, establishing himself as one of Rodgers' favorite ancillary weapons. He then followed Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023, but with Rodgers tearing his Achilles in the season opener, Lazard struggled, managing just 23 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown in 14 games.

Last year, with Rodgers back under center, Lazard enjoyed a much more productive campaign, but here's the problem: Rodgers just signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Lazard is still with the Jets.

Rodgers' decision to join Pittsburgh led some to believe that Lazard may ultimately come to some sort of agreement with New York to trade him to the Steelers, but apparently, Lazard has decided against that.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has revealed that Lazard will probably be staying with Gang Green, as he wants to demonstrate that he is not merely a product of one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.

"Per a source with knowledge of Lazard’s thinking, he sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback," Florio wrote. "With the Jets planning a run-heavy offense under new coach Aaron Glenn (and new quarterback Justin Fields), there’s a premium on receiver blocking. At six feet, five inches and 225 pounds, Lazard fits that role perfectly."

Lazard spent four years at Iowa State between 2014 and 2017, with his best season coming during his final campaign with the Cyclones when he hauled in 71 receptions for 941 yards and 10 touchdowns. He went undrafted, but ultimately landed with the Packers in 2018.

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