New York Jets Veteran WR Named A Surprising Cut Candidate

The New York Jets wide receiver could be on his way out according to this NFL analyst.
East Rutherford, NJ     December 3, 2023 -- Allen Lazard of the Jets during pre game warm ups.
East Rutherford, NJ December 3, 2023 -- Allen Lazard of the Jets during pre game warm ups. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA
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The New York Jets have some decisions to make on roster as they have an upcoming battle for a depth spot at wide receiver.

One of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' long time targets, dating back to their stint together with the Green Bay Packers, could find himself on the cutting block.

Marcus Mosher of 33rd team listed Allen Lazard as a notable player that shouldn't surprise fans if he gets released before the start of the season.

Lazard has been with Rodgers for his entire career and the two found a lot of success. In his five seasons in Green Bay, he had 169 catches for 2,236 yards and 20 touchdowns. While those names aren't mind-blowing, he became a reliable redzone target for the future Hall of Famer.

After Rodgers went down with injury last season, the receiver wasn't able to make much of an impact. The former Iowa State Cyclone had just 23 catches on 49 targets (a career-worst catch percentage) for 311 yards and one score.

It's clear that New York wasn't happy with their receiving corps outside of Garrett Wilson last season. The front office added Mike Williams on a one-year deal and then traded up to draft Malachi Corley. That is three players that are virtually guaranteed a spot on the roster.

A fourth receiver spot could be taken up by Xavier Gipson as he was the team's special teams return man last year and looks to be the guy for the job once again.

That leaves the main competition for Lazard as Jason Brownlee or Malik Taylor. With none of the three coming off of fantastic seasons, it would make sense for the Jets to look to get younger at the positon.

Though Lazard and Rodgers are clearly close, there might not be much reason to keep a 29-year-old struggling veteran on the roster if he can't find the field consistently.


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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders