Former Iowa State Star Remains Clear NFL Trade Candidate After Pay Cut

Former Iowa State Cyclones star Allen Lazard has carved out a solid NFL career for himself, but the New York Jets wide receiver finds himself in some danger heading into 2025.

Lazard took a pay cut earlier this offseason, a clear indication that the Jets are not exactly enthralled with his production since he joined the team in 2023. Not only that, but Aaron Rodgers is now gone, and the bulk of Lazard's professional output has come with Rodgers as his quarterback.

Can the 29-year-old actually establish himself as a regular member of New York's aerial attack this coming season?

Perhaps, but there is no doubt that Lazard — who is preparing to enter the final year of his contract — represents a trade candidate with the regular season just over a month away.

Why? Because the Jets may want to give younger receivers like Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley and rookie Arian Smith as many chances as possible behind Garrett Wilson, and those targets would obviously be reduced with Lazard still on the roster.

New York's receiving corps is actually pretty thin in terms of proven depth, which helps Lazard's case, but it's important to remember that the 6-foot-5 pass-catcher logged just 23 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown without Rodgers two years ago. His numbers with the Green Bay Packers also mostly came with Rodgers throwing him the football.

Is Lazard really any more of a threat than Josh Reynolds at this juncture? They fill similar niches: big-bodied receivers who present solid red-zone targets for quarterback Justin Fields.

The Jets may wish to roll with Wilson and Reynolds as their top two receivers and ship out Lazard to create some more room for the youngsters.

Lazard was certainly impressive at Iowa State, particularly during his final season in 2017 when he hauled in 71 receptions for 941 yards and 10 scores, but he has yet to prove that he can regularly produce on the NFL level sans Rodgers.

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