Jets Would Cut Ties With $44 Million Wideout In Trade Idea With Broncos

There might be multiple teams interested in this Aaron Rodgers holdover

Aug 27, 2020; Englewood, Colorado, USA; A general view of the Denver Broncos logo outside of UCHealth Training Center where practice was cancelled after a morning team meeting. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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The New York Jets have to make a decision sometime soon about the future of wide receiver Allen Lazard.

Lazard signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Jets in tandem with the arrival of Aaron Rodgers as the new starting quarterback for the 2023 season. Rodgers, of course, is now gone from the Jets and contemplating retirement, but Lazard is still on New York's roster.

The Jets reduced Lazard's salary this year by $8.5 million in April, and the fourth year of his deal has already been voided. So at this point, he wouldn't be expensive to keep around in 2025, but New York may not want him anyway.

Throughout his career, Lazard has been better when Rodgers has been his quarterback. So should the Jets keep him and hope he can have a big year now that Justin Fields is the starter, or trade him and try to get out from under the last remnants of his contract?

Heavy's Tony Adame believes there's a chance the Denver Broncos, who don't have a clear-cut number-two wideout behind Courtland Sutton, may be a strong fit for Lazard if the Jets decide to go the trade route.

"What Lazard has done throughout his career is put up numbers consistent with being a really good WR2, with 17-game averages of 47 receptions, 630 yards and 6 touchdowns for his career," Adame wrote.

"With the Broncos, Lazard gets to work with a young quarterback in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Bo Nix, who could be on the verge of establishing himself as one of theAFC’s top quarterbacks in 2025."

There's some irony in the fact that Nix is only a year younger than Fields, but we'll ignore that for now. If the Broncos want Lazard enough to offer a draft pick of any value for him, it's definitely a possibility the Jets should consider.

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