FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets' offseason purge has claimed quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his most prolific wide receiver, Davante Adams, but one member of the old Green Bay Packers gang is sticking around.
Ending months of speculation, wide receiver Allen Lazard agreed to a significant pay cut to remain with the Jets, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Lazard was thought to be a goner due to his $11 million base salary (nonguaranteed) for 2025, but the two sides restructured the contract after several weeks of discussions. His new base salary is $2.25 million, and he can earn an additional $250,000 with game-by-game roster bonuses.
In exchange, the Jets guaranteed $1.75 million of his base pay and voided the final year of his contract (2026), allowing Lazard to become a free agent after the season. The move reduces Lazard's 2025 cap charge from $13.2 million to $4.6 million. There is an additional $4.4 million "dead" charge in 2026.
Over the Cap first reported the new agreement.
In early March, Lazard was given permission to seek a trade but found no takers. General manager Darren Mougey said March 30 at the NFL annual league meeting that the two sides were in talks on a revised deal.
"Listen, anytime you have a player of that magnitude, he's a really good blocker," coach Aaron Glenn said last week. "I [coached] against him a number of times when he was in Green Bay, so I know what he brings to the table."
Lazard and Garrett Wilson are the top holdovers in the Jets' receiving corps, which also includes newly signed veterans Josh Reynolds and Tyler Johnson. Lazard is the only remaining Green Bay link to Rodgers in New York.
For two years, the Jets went all-in on Rodgers, a process that started in March 2023 with the signing of Lazard to the biggest free agent contract for a wide receiver that year -- four years, $44 million. They also signed wide receiver Randall Cobb (now retired) and acquired Adams in October. The goal was to surround Rodgers with familiar faces, including now-departed offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Over those two years, the Jets went 12-22, resulting in an organizational reboot.
Lazard has endured two rocky seasons in New York, compiling 60 catches, 841 yards and seven touchdowns. He slumped in 2023 and was benched at one point, later admitting that his focus was affected by Rodgers' season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1.
With a healthy Rodgers in 2024, Lazard was revitalized and got off to a productive start, but he missed five games due to a sternum injury and lost his starting job to Adams. He finished the season with 37 receptions for 530 yards and six touchdowns. He also had a team-high seven drops.
In seven seasons, the first five with the Packers, Lazard has 229 receptions, 3,077 yards and 27 touchdowns.