Allen Lazard takes $8,500,000 pay cut to play for Jets in 2025

Allen Lazard is taking a significant pay cut to remain with the New York Jets in 2025. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news on his X account.

Lazard and the Jets have reportedly agreed to a restructured contract for the wide receiver, who was slated to make $11 million in 2025. The new deal has Lazard taking an $8.5 million pay cut to stay with the Jets. Now, New York is guaranteeing $1.75 million of his salary in 2025.

Lazard followed longtime Green Bay Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers to the Jets in 2023, signing a four-year, $44 million contract with the team. Unfortunately, the magic Rodgers had with Lazard during their days with the Packers didn't get the chance to transfer over to New York.

In 2023, Allen Lazard played without Rodgers for nearly the entire season, as the quarterback was injured in the very first game of the regular season, shelving him for the entire year.

When Rodgers was fully healthy this past season in 2024, Lazard missed time with an injury of his own, only managing to play in 12 games. In that time, he caught 37 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns. One of those touchdowns being Rodgers' first touchdown pass as a Jet.

New York Jets set for fresh start in 2025 NFL season

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers - Source: Imagn

The New York Jets are set for a fresh start in the 2025 NFL season. New York has moved on from Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, instead signing Justin Fields in free agency, inking the speedy signal-caller to a two-year, $40 million contract. The Jets also signed Aaron Glenn to serve as their head coach next season.

With a brand new quarterback and head coach combination, the Jets are hoping to turn things around in 2025 and compete for an AFC East division title, in a division that includes the likes of the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

New York also holds the seventh overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. This gives the Jets a great position in the draft to select a player who could instantly impact their team.

In a division that features a team in the Bills who is consistently involved in the AFC conference title mix, as well as the Patriots who just hired head coach Mike Vrabel and have made huge strides in the offseason, the Jets have a lot of ground to make up before being able to compete with their divisional foes.