NFL Free Agency: Allen Lazard signs new four-year, $44M contract with New York Jets

Longtime Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard has signed with New York Jets in NFL Free Agency, according to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Additionally, Schultz cited this move as possibly moving a potential Aaron Rodgers trade to the Jets over the finish line.

The reported length of the deal is four years, with a $44 million value and $22 million guaranteed.

The move comes following a career year for the mammoth-framed wideout. Lazard entered last season as Green Bay’s No. 1 option on among the receiving corps and started in all 15 games that he played, putting up totals of 788 yards on 60 catches and 100 targets — all of which lead the team in 2022. Prior to this past fall, Lazard had never eclipsed 500 yards in a season but was always a solid deep threat for Rodgers because of his big frame and ability to make plays at the catch point.

Allen Lazard, the newly minted Jets wide receiver, was initially undrafted after spending four years at Iowa State in college and first caught on a practice squad with the Jaguars. However, he never appeared in a game in Jacksonville and eventually wound up with the Packers, where he’s spent the last five years. Now, he gets his biggest contract yet.

More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2023 calendar year is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on March 15 when contracts running through 2022 will officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. Beginning March 13 through March 15 teams will be allowed a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets while April 26 marks the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets. 722 players are slated to become free agents in 2023.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match that round pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.