5 Questions with LeRoy Butler: How will Packers survive Micah Parsons loss
LeRoy Butler considers what the loss of Micah Parsons means for various players on defense, including Rashan Gary.
The Aaron Rodgers Era in New York really feels over now.
The New York Jets have released wide receiver Allen Lazard, a former Green Bay Packers wideout who followed Aaron Rodgers to New York and wound up getting a four-year, $44 million contract that’s now seen as a major overpay.
Lazard, 30, has been a healthy scratch for the past four games and he’s only started two games this year, his third season with the Jets. He’s played in 10 games overall but has only 10 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown, with the Jets struggling at 3-11.
He can be regarded as the last remaining tendril of Rodgers’ two-year stay with the Jets, a tenure that involved New York bringing several former Packers into the fold.
ESPN indicated that Lazard asked for his release. Rather than depart at the same time Rodgers went to Pittsburgh, Lazard accepted a pay cut of nearly $9 million to stay in 2025.
Lazard only had 70 catches for 911 yards in three seasons with the Jets. It was a far cry from his production with the Packers. He caught 168 passes for 2,229 yards and 20 touchdowns over the preceding four seasons. Lazard, who went undrafted from Iowa State, first suited up for the Packers in 2018, catching one pass that year.
After the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets in 2023, the ex-Packers who joined New York included wide receiver Randall Cobb, wide receiver Malik Taylor, quarterback Tim Boyle, safety Adrian Amos, offensive lineman Billy Turner and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in addition to Lazard. The Jets later acquired wide receiver Davante Adams in 2024 from Las Vegas at the trade deadline. All those players are now gone.
The lone former Packers player on the Jets, center Josh Myers, joined New York before the current season after the Packers moved on. Originally intended to serve as a backup, Myers has become the regular starter at center and just signed a two-year, $11 million extension with the Jets late last week.
The Jets do have plenty of other Wisconsin connections. Former Badgers offensive lineman Joe Tippmann starts at right guard, Waukesha North High School alumnus Will McDonald starts as an edge rusher and former Fond du Lac and UW standout running back Braelon Allen is on injured reserve with a knee injury that will likely cost him the rest of the season.