In hindsight, the first sure sign that Aaron Rodgers was coming to the Jets should have been receiver Allen Lazard’s free-agent signing.
Though he couldn’t admit his knowledge at the time, Lazard revealed Thursday that his decision to leave the Packers and sign with the Jets on March 14 was partially based on firsthand intelligence that Rodgers eventually would make the same move.
And there was only one moment of concern even as the Jets-Packers trade talks around Rodgers dragged on until April 24.
“There was probably an eight-hour period of time where I was like, ‘What the f—, bro?’ ” Lazard said to a chorus of laughter after the first practice of training camp. “And he was like, ‘It’s going to happen.’ I was like, ‘All right.’ We obviously had a very deep conversation and talked about the possibilities of where he would go, where I would go.”
The former undrafted Iowa State product totaled 169 catches for 2,236 yards and 20 touchdowns — mostly from Rodgers — in 57 games for the Packers.
“Not to say that him going here was the only reason why I came here, or me coming here was the only reason why he didn’t want to retire or stay in Green Bay, but I knew he was doing everything he could do,” Lazard said. “A lot of the hype around, ‘Why is it not happening?’ Well, he had no control. We would’ve done it way before then.”
Lazard and Rodgers trained together in California, so he was privy to information that the rest of the NFL was not when it seemed Rodgers to the Jets might fall through.
“I was seeing him at least two, three times a week, so maybe if I wasn’t there I would’ve been a little more worried,” Lazard said. “But I was pretty confident.”
Lazard’s four-year, $44 million free-agent contract wound up as the biggest secured by any receiver during free agency this offseason. What is his motivation now that he has proved he belongs?
“Super Bowl. That’s always been the main objective since I was 5 years old playing the game. That’s never changed,” Lazard said. “My goal … wasn’t to be the highest paid in an offseason, it wasn’t to make a set amount of money. My dreams have always been to leave people with a memory and impact them in a positive way.”
Lazard described himself as a “teacher assistant” for the Jets, helping other receivers and even coaches learn former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s playbook and Rodgers’ play-to-play preferences.
“I’ve been very fortunate, which is extremely rare I’ve realized, to stay in the same system, with the same language, with the same quarterback,” Lazard said. “I’m pretty fluent. Sometimes, I have to dumb myself down a little bit to make it more receivable for other guys.”
Once upon a time, Lazard was just another unknown in Packers camp who routinely made enough plays that Rodgers urged coaches to put him in games.
“The first day of the offseason back in 2019 when we got a new staff, Coach [Matt] LaFleur made everyone get up and switch their seats,” Lazard said. “[Rodgers] was sitting by himself. Me being me, I was like, ‘If I should be close to anyone, it’s probably this guy.’ That started our relationship.”
It’s still going strong.
