Weather Will Factor, at Least a Little, as Lazard Considers Free Agency

Packers receiver Allen Lazard discussed his upcoming free agency on Wednesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 22, 2023 8:17 PM EST

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers receiver Allen Lazard, an Iowa native who played at Iowa State, is no stranger to the cold and snow of the Midwest. With free agency approaching, he said he wouldn’t mind seeing if the sun was brighter and warmer on the other side of the fence.

“I think everybody would prefer the sun over the cold. I think that’s just a natural human instinct,” Lazard said on SiriusXM NFL Radio with hosts Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon on Wednesday.

Lazard is 27. Other than spending most of his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he is a Midwest lifer.

“I kind of want to venture out and live in a different region,” he said. However, he added, “at the end of the day, this is my career and I’m going to take it wherever it needs me to go to get to where I want to go as far as my individual career.”

Lazard wasn’t quite the No. 1 receiver that Aaron Rodgers hyped him to be in the wake of the Davante Adams trade, but he set career highs with 60 receptions and 788 yards in 15 games.

The timing was impeccable, with Lazard slated to be one of the top receivers available in free agency.

“I think all players wish to be in this position at some point in their career,” Lazard said. “Having played a good season and having the option to play wherever you truly desire, I’m definitely excited to hear and see all the teams that will be interested and to see what the best option is.”

Returning to the Packers is an option – a source confirmed that the team and agent Peter Schaffer has been in contact. The weather notwithstanding, Green Bay has set a high bar for his expectations.

“I’ve been very spoiled the past four, five years to be in the Packers organization,” he said. “I think they’re obviously a first-class organization with how they go about the relationship with the fans, how they treat their players – just the whole experience there.

“Having Coach (Matt) LaFleur and (former offensive coordinator) Nathaniel Hackett the past few years and obviously having Aaron (Rodgers) as the quarterback, I’m almost bougie, I feel like, into what I’m going to be wanting from another organization because I have such high expectations. That’s only because I’ve seen that and I’ve experienced that. I think the record – minus last year – shows you how they’re able to have that much success.”

Plucked off the Jaguars’ practice squad late in the 2018 season, Lazard has been a big part of that success. In 2019, Rodgers remembered watching the film of the young guys practicing on the other side of the field and asking, “Who’s 13?” Lazard didn’t make the 53-man roster that year but came off the bench to rescue the Packers from an embarrassing upset against Detroit – a game that set the stage for all that was to come. In the 2020 playoffs, he scored the clinching touchdown vs. the Rams.

Over the last two seasons, Lazard ranks 14th among NFL receivers with 14 receiving touchdowns.

“Obviously, the draft didn’t work out great for me, but I think free agency will be a little bit different of a story,” he said.

While Lazard isn’t the most explosive receiver, he’s been a reliable, selfless contributor. He routinely helped power Green Bay’s strong perimeter run game with his fierce blocking. His skill-set should make him a man in demand in free agency.

“As a wide receiver, you want to catch every single ball and, me, I want to make sure I get every single block,” he said. “Those are two things that can really elevate your game as a wide receiver and take you to the next level.”

Lazard wasn’t sure which way Rodgers was leaning about the 2023 season. Rodgers’ decision might factor in Lazard’s decision but, ultimately, after playing on a series of one-year contracts, Lazard is looking for security.

And perhaps some warmth.

“This next place,” he said, “I would like it to be somewhere I could see myself living for an extended period of time.”