1 obvious New York Jets trade candidate entering 2025 training camp

After reaching peak dysfunction during the 2024 season, the New York Jets are hoping new head coach Aaron Glenn can stabilize the franchise. The team found out the hard way that it, in fact, was not just a quarterback away from contending for a championship as the Jets finished 5-12 last season and missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year.

The abject failure of the Aaron Rodgers era left the organization eager to head in a different direction for 2025. And Glenn’s first big decision as the Jets’ shot caller was to release the veteran quarterback.

New York also parted ways with Davante Adams after acquiring him in a mid-season trade with the Las Vegas Raiders last year. And the team fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was hired in 2023 to help lure Rodgers to New York.

Now it’s time for the Jets to move on from the last vestige of the Rodgers era by trading Allen Lazard.

Like Hackett, Lazard was brought in to make the Jets more appealing to the future Hall of Fame passer. New York signed the wideout to a four-year, $44 million contract prior to the 2023 season. A month later, the team landed Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers.

At the time it made sense to try to recreate the offensive environment from Rodgers’ two most recent MVP seasons. But Lazard is all that remains from that effort. And Glenn has sent a clear message that the Jets are starting fresh in 2025 with a focus on getting younger and building a culture.

Lazard never seemed like a natural fit with the Jets, even when Rodgers was playing. And his contributions when Rodgers was sidelined by injury in 2023 were negligible. Now, entering his age-30 season, he’s rumored to be losing the WR2 battle to newcomer Josh Reynolds.

It’s clear that the Jets need to upgrade their wide receiver room as Reynolds is not cut out for the WR2 role in a successful passing offense. But neither is Lazard. The seventh-year veteran has never caught more than 60 passes or topped 788 receiving yards in a season despite playing nearly every game of his career with Aaron Rodgers, including during the passer’s Most Valuable Player campaigns in 2020 and 2021.

With Rodgers shelved due to an Achilles injury in 2023, Lazard had 23 receptions for 311 yards and one touchdown in 14 games. And when the quarterback returned to the field in 2024, Lazard responded by posting 37 catches for 530 yards and six scores.

In addition to the modest production, Lazard has been inconsistent with the Jets, struggling with drops – he had the sixth-highest drop rate among receivers in 2024 – and run blocking, which had been considered an area of strength for the wideout.

The Jets don’t have much talent at the position outside of star receiver Garrett Wilson. Beyond Lazard and Reynolds, the team has 2024 third-round pick Malachi Corley, who’s flirting with a bust label, 2025 fourth-round speedster Arian Smith, who’s considered a work in progress and journeyman Tyler Johnson.

It would be wise to add a wideout capable of starting opposite Wilson and commanding some attention from opposing defenses. But if the Jets don’t go that route (they won’t) they might as well give the young guys playing time as Glenn sorts out exactly what he has on this roster. Either way, Lazard is not going to be part of the team’s future. But he could still have some value on the market as a big-bodied WR3 for a team with multiple established pass catchers.

It’s not imperative that the Jets trade Lazard ahead of the season now that the wideout agreed to a restructured contract, accepting a $8.5 million pay cut. The new deal eases New York’s cap burden and also makes Lazard a free agent following the 2025 campaign. The restructured terms would allow the team to keep the veteran receiver as a depth piece if a market doesn’t develop. But Lazard is clearly the Jets’ most obvious trade candidate and ideally New York would be able to flip him for some draft capital as Glenn and new GM Darren Mougey seek to rebuild the roster with young talent.

What about a Breece Hall trade?

In the lead up to the 2025 NFL Draft it was rumored that the Jets would try to trade Breece Hall. The team was reportedly interested in moving the fourth-year running back as he entered the final year of his rookie deal. While a draft day trade didn’t materialize, rumors of Hall’s availability heated up.

Glenn then threw kerosene on the flames by professing his fondness for backup RBs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, suggesting the second-year rushers would have an increased workload in a running-back-by-committee approach. Stripping Hall of his featured role seemed a sure indicator of the Jets’ willingness to move him this offseason.

However, Glenn later reached out to Hall and assured him that the team had no interest in trading the 24-year-old back. The conversation, along with the lack of movement, helped squash rumors that Hall was on the market.

A Hall trade would certainly yield a bigger return than moving Lazard. But the Jets are, rightly, hesitant to part with such a talented player. Hall appeared on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 before a brutal knee injury ended his season after seven games (teammate Garrett Wilson would go on to claim the award).

While Hall hasn’t quite lived up to the initial promise he displayed in his debut, he’s still shown flashes of his immense potential over the two seasons following his knee surgery.

Hall overcame a dysfunctional Zach Wilson-led offense to post 1,585 total yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. And last season he racked up 1,359 total yards while scoring eight touchdowns in 16 games.

The Jets figure to feature an extremely run-heavy attack in 2025 with Justin Fields under center. So, even if Allen and Davis cut into Hall’s workload, he should still get plenty of opportunities. And New York’s best course of action is giving the former 36th overall draft pick another year to show what he’s capable of before making a decision on his future.

That said, it is possible that Hall gets moved at the trade deadline in 2025. If the Jets are a miserable wreck and/or it becomes clear the team isn’t going to sign him to an extension based on the production of Allen and Davis, New York could end up trading Hall to a contender mid-season. Still, the best outcome for Jets fans is a breakout from Hall, solidifying the position long term for the first time since Curtis Martin in the early 2000s.

Potential landing spots in an Allen Lazard trade

The most obvious, and most likely, trade destination for Lazard would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lazard has, unquestionably, performed better with Rodgers as his quarterback. And the veteran passer is partial to the wideout.

Rodgers has an affinity for the familiar. His desire to be surrounded by former teammates and coaches was made clear during his time with the Jets. Previous Packers’ personnel including Lazard, Hackett, Randal Cobb, Billy Turner and Davante Adams were all brought to New York to help Rodgers make the transition to a new team or, in Adams’ case, to help improve his performance.

While the Jets indulged the 41-year-old signal caller, the Steelers have so far refrained from making Rodgers-related roster moves. But acquiring Lazard could be beneficial for both Rodgers and Pittsburgh.

The Steelers landed DK Metcalf during the offseason in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. However, Pittsburgh shipped George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys leaving the team with Metcalf and Robert Woods as the starting wideouts. Lazard could compete with Calvin Austin III for WR3 duties while also helping the Steelers new QB adjust.

While Pittsburgh is the most likely landing spot for Lazard, the Raiders could also be a potential fit. While Las Vegas wants to win now under new head coach Pete Carroll, the team lacks depth behind veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers. Additionally, Lazard is a capable run blocker when motivated and could help the Raiders ground attack led by Ashton Jeanty.