Allen Lazard’s Jets career has finally ended — much later than most expected.
Gang Green are releasing the veteran receiver toward the end of his third season with the team after signing one of the worst free agent contracts in recent franchise history, The Post’s Brian Costello confirmed.
The separation is being described as a mutual agreement, he further reported.
Lazard tallied 70 catches for 911 yards and eight touchdowns in 36 games after signing a four-year, $44 million contract ahead of the 2023 season.
He notched just 10 catches for 70 yards and one score in 10 contests this year.
Allen Lazard in September 2025. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Lazard, 30, joined the Jets alongside friend and fellow ex-Packer Aaron Rodgers after a strong five-year run with Green Bay that included a career-best 788 yards and six receiving touchdowns in 2022.
The Lazard-Rodgers connection never got off the ground in 2023, though, with Rodgers lasting just four snaps before tearing his Achilles against the Bills in Week 1.
Lazard posted a career-low 311 yards on 23 catches with just one touchdown, his fewest receiving yards for any season in which he played more than one game.
The veteran enjoyed a better season in 2024 with Rodgers healthy, although his 530-yard campaign, boosted by six touchdowns, still left much to be desired.
The Jets moved on from Rodgers in the offseason and it certainly seemed like they could also part ways with Lazard, with the franchise allowing him to seek a trade that did not come to fruition.
Aaron Rodgers and Lazard in 2023. AP
Some speculated whether Rodgers’ new team, the Steelers, could pounce, but they added DK Metcalf and passed on acquiring their quarterback’s friend.
New Jets general manager Darren Mougey said at the time he wanted Lazard back on a restructured deal, and the sides ultimately came to an agreement.
Lazard took an $8.5 million pay cut to stay with the Jets, lowering his salary from $11 million to $2.25 million, and also reworked his contract to allow him to become a free agent after this season.
He said he wanted to show that he could still thrive without Rodgers.
“That’s pretty obvious,” Lazard said in August. “My success isn’t determined off of who’s throwing me the ball [or] how we’re trying to approach it. I want to go out there and be great regardless of the other 10 guys out there. It’s the pride that I have by putting that jersey on, wearing the name on my back and also representing the organization that I’m playing for.
“So, whoever’s throwing me the ball, I’m gonna go out there and compete the same way that I did whether it was Aaron or not. And I’ve done that my whole career, not just the NFL: college, high school. There’s a reason why I’m still here. It’s not just ’cause I had Aaron Rodgers throwing me the ball my whole life.”
While the Jets kept Lazard, he was a surprise healthy scratch in Week 1, and that set the tone for his season.
Lazard’s best game came Oct. 19, when he tallied two catches for 16 yards in the 13-6 home loss to the Panthers.
Even with Garrett Wilson limited to seven games, Lazard could not make a difference and saw Adonai Mitchell, John Metchie III and others pass him on the depth chart.
He had just one catch for 6 yards in his last game with the team this past Sunday.
Now that he’s a free agent, it’s possible Lazard could join Rodgers in Pittsburgh with the hopes of making the playoffs with the AFC North leader.
The Steelers already acquired one Rodgers buddy and veteran castoff in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and they would not have to worry about the acclimation period between the quarterback and receiver.