NFL rumors: Jets officially begin laying down red carpet for Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers wants the Jets to pull out all the stops before he’s traded and New York has started obliging the quarterback. 

Not only are the New York Jets still waiting to figure out if they are going to be able to trade Aaron Rodgers, but they are also now being asked to make him happy.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Rodgers has a wishlist of players for the Jets to target this offseason, a list that includes Odell Beckham Jr. and a host of former Packers teammates like Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis.

And now New York is starting to acquiesce the request of the mercurial quarterback. As reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Jets are signing Lazard to a four-year, $44 million contract with $22 million guaranteed.

Jets signing Allen Lazard is step one in facilitating Aaron Rodgers trade

That’s definitely an overpay for Lazard, who’s 700+ yards in the 2022 season was a career-best. At the same time, though, he should be a good fit with Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore in the New York offense. More importantly, though, it’s what Rodgers wants.

The timing of the signing is quite intriguing as news came just hours after the report of Rodgers’ wishlist. That has to be a sign that Rodgers is planning on returning to the NFL in the 2023 season and, as such, is likely going to be traded to the Jets. We’ll find out soon, though, as he’ll appear on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, March 15 and many people expect an announcement then.

We shall see if that announcement comes but, whatever the case, it’s hard to believe that the Jets would pay that contract to Lazard if they didn’t believe wholly that Rodgers is coming to the Big Apple.