The Jets' long-awaited 2024 season opener is just a week away, and it will be a do-over for Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, Rodgers' first season with the Jets, the 2023 season, ended just four plays into the season when he tore his left Achilles tendon, effectively ending the Jets' hopes of ending a 13-year playoff drought.
Now, with the 49ers and their top-tier defense waiting to face Rodgers and the Jets starters, who haven't played a single down in three preseason games, questions remain.
- What does that leave Rodgers?
- Does he still have the momentum that saw him win two NFL MVP awards and a Super Bowl?
- Or is he a 40-year-old star whose skills have faded?
The player best positioned on the Jets' roster to answer those questions is receiver Allen Lazard, who signed prior to Rodgers' acquisition after playing his first five NFL seasons with him in Green Bay.
Before the Jets took a break from practice over Labor Day weekend, I asked Lazard to evaluate Rodgers' form now compared to his prime in Green Bay.
“He's somewhere between good and great,” Lazard told the Post. “Probably great.”
So, in your eyes, he hasn't lost anything?
“Honestly, he's in the best shape he's ever been,” Lazard said. “I don't want to over-hype him, but…”
Lazard is biased, of course, but no Jets player has a better, more unique perspective on Rodgers' then- and now-form than Lazard, who, like Rodgers, is trying to recapture the form he had in Green Bay.
There were a number of candidates who received the most scorn from disgruntled Jets fans in 2023. At the top of that list were the three who filled the quarterback position after Rodgers' mid-season departure.
But Lazard wasn't far behind Zach Wilson, Trevor Simian and Tim Boyle.
The 28-year-old receiver, who the Jets signed for four years and $44 million, with $22 million guaranteed, was one of the team's most disappointing prospects in the 2023 class.
In fairness, he was a receiver without a capable NFL quarterback, and one who had been spoiled by playing his entire career with one of the best players to ever play the position.
Still, the 2023 season was a blow to Lazard, leaving him highly motivated to “re-establish his value to this team.”
He entered 2022 with 60 catches for 788 yards and six touchdowns last season, which comes after a 2021 season with 40 catches for 513 yards and eight touchdowns.
Lazard's 2023 production — 23 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown — barely matched the contract he signed, and he's hearing about it from Jets fans.
“It's been a difficult year,” Lazard said, “and just the fact that I'd spent my entire career trying to find stability and security up until last year, it's been tough. I came to a new city, had a new adventure, and felt like I'd finally made it through this challenge in my life … and then, needless to say, the season was still the season.”
Lazard didn't listen to the negative rumors about 2023. He was well aware that many Jets fans had spoken derisive words about his lack of production.
But I never heard Lazard whine about it. He kept his head down and quietly did his job. He continued to fulfill his responsibilities.
“This is part of my career when we signed all of this and honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way,” Lazard said. “I'm using all of that as motivation. I'm using all of last year as motivation and focus to improve my craft and be a better teammate.”
It's human nature for even the most celebrated players to doubt themselves when their performance sags and outside criticism mounts, and Lazard acknowledged he was feeling unsettled, wondering if he'd ever be the same player he was before he came to the Jets.
“The tougher the times are, that little voice in your head gets a little louder,” he said, “but that doesn't mean you can't keep playing and persevere when the times are tough. I knew last year wasn't my last year playing football.”
Lazard bounced back with a strong training camp this summer and now he's looking to carry that into the action.
“I'm grateful for the camp and the success and the growth I've had and re-established my value to the team,” he said, “but at the end of the day, nothing matters until Sunday.”
In this case it's Monday.
“That's really why you get judged, evaluated and ridiculed, right?” he said. “So, [training camp] Just because you pass a checkpoint doesn't mean you're anywhere near your destination.”
