After a game of cat and mouse that lasted two-and-a-half months, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally got their guy.
The team announced on Thursday evening that it had signed four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year deal, bringing an end to one of the lengthiest and most drama-filled storylines of the NFL offseason.
But now that the Steelers have addressed their biggest area of need, another one requires their attention — the glaring hole at wide receiver opened up after the team traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last month for third- and sixth-round picks.
Several names have been floated as possible Pickens replacements over the last few weeks, but one that’s been thrown out more than any other is current New York Jets receiver Allen Lazard, who’s spent all seven seasons of his NFL career as Rodgers’ teammate.
And while it’s easy to connect the dots on a potential Rodgers-Lazard reunion, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio recently revealed that Lazard may actually have some reservations about continuing to be tied at the hip to the 10-time Pro Bowl QB.
“Per a source with knowledge of Lazard’s thinking, he sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback,” Florio reported.
“That doesn’t mean Lazard would reject the opportunity to play with Rodgers again. But it’s not an automatic, knee-jerk, no-brainer. Lazard, at the end of the day, may prefer to make his own path.”
There’s no question, Lazard is an effective weapon when paired with Rodgers.
His two best seasons—2021 (40 catches, 513 yards, eight touchdowns) and 2022 (60 catches, 788 yards, six touchdowns)—were with a healthy, pre-Achilles injury Rodgers throwing him the ball.
In fact, the one season Rodgers was injured and Lazard was catching passes from someone else, he had the worst season of his career (23 receptions, 311 yards, one TD).
“Lazard has a well-earned reputation of being two different players. With Rodgers, good. Without Rodgers, not,” Florio continued. “… He has a much better chance of [continuing his career] if he can take advantage of his opportunity with the Jets to prove that he can thrive without Rodgers as his quarterback.”
If Lazard is, in fact, a no-go for the Steelers, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes the team will be aggressive in its pursuit of landing Rodgers another offensive weapon.
“I do expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to continue to search for one more weapon,” Rapoport said on Friday. “… Jonnu Smith — there was a phone call there. Kyle Pitts — there was a phone call there. The Steelers are in the market for at least one more playmaker.”
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