The New York Jets have gone from being candidates to win 14 games in 2024 to needing superstar wide receiver DaVante Adams to make their Super Bowl status legitimate all within a matter of weeks.
Some in the court of public opinion have ruled that the Jets could use more oomph to get over the hump next year. That being said, they have a talented wideout on their roster who did underwhelm in 2023 but could redeem himself the next time out.
Allen Lazard did not play up to his standard as the Jets’ WR2 in 2023
Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard still has something to prove in New York. As the Jets’ No. 2 receiver on the previous campaign, the 6-5, 227-pound pass-catcher did not look the part with only 311 receiving yards and a lone REC touchdown in 14 games, 12 of which he started.
He looked like a shell of himself from his Green Bay Packers career which culminated in a 2022 outing where he made good on 60 catches off of 100 targets for a respectable 788 REC yards and six REC TDs, catching from four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is now his QB yet again on this Jets team.
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Lazard can be a major X-factor in whatever role he’s given in the Jets’ offense in 2024
Lazard has been listed by Evan Massey of Fan Nation’s Jets Country as a major X-Factor that the Jets need in order to take New York’s offense to the next level, and for good reason.
While the addition of WR Mike Williams will relegate Lazard to the WR3 spot on the outside and likely the WR4 designation overall behind rookie slot receiver Malachi Corley, he’ll be needed as a veteran option should Corley struggle out of the gates or one of their two first-stringers, also including WR1 Garrett Wilson, deal with injuries. Even if neither hypothetical scenario plays out in 2024, Lazard’s lengthy history of camaraderie with Rodgers will be huge in getting the superstar QB back in his groove.
The Jets will also likely employ a wide breadth of offensive plays which could call for several wideouts on the field on any given snap to get the ball down the field with Rodgers’ nearly unparalleled arm. The Iowa native will need to step up to the call when his number is dialed and produced.
New York will need all hands on deck to capture the Vince Lombardi Trophy next season and his 65.1 percent catch percentage and 13.3 yards per reception from his second season in the league to his penultimate one to date in Green Bay are too good of peripherals for him not to return to in 2024. Lazard must stay ready in whatever role Jets head coach Robert Saleh deploys him in. If he can do so, the 28-year-old could find himself being an unsung hero over the course of their season.