Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard share the same motivation for trading the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets ahead of the 2023 season: The pair like the idea of working with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Quarterback Rodgers, 39, stated his intention to join the Jets while being interviewed on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. A trade is far from being completed, though, with a restructured contract with Rodgers yet to be negotiated, and compensation has not been negotiated with the Packers, who have been advised to demand two first-round draft picks.
Lazard, meanwhile, has already completed his trade to the Jets from the Packers, penning a four-year deal worth $44million (£36.1m). The prospect of playing in New York helped the Jets lure Lazard to their franchise, but so did the prospect of working again with Rodgers and offensive coordinator, Hackett.
Both Lazard and Rodgers are keen to reunite with Hackett, who they worked with in Green Bay between 2019 and 2021. "There's a lot of reasons why the Jets are attractive. There's one coach who's meant as much to me as any coach I've ever had, and he happened to be the coordinator there," Rodgers said of Hackett while talking to pal McAfee.
And Lazard shares the same sentiment as Rodgers on the coordinator. Speaking in his introductory news conference Friday, Lazard said: “Knowing Hackett and our rapport and everything, and being in meetings with him, that’s some of the funnest times I’ve had with football is being with him on the field and in the meeting room.”
Lazard continued: “He’s the best teacher I've ever had in my life. And that goes from school to football, he just makes learning fun. Makes it really easy and he allows you to just go out there and play fast and not think. And because of that, is the reason I’ve had a lot of success these past few years."
The receiver has also attributed his NFL career to Rodgers, who he says stood up for him. “He stood up on a table for me during training camp when I probably didn’t deserve to make the roster, at least in the front office’s eyes. And he called for me to be in the game. He’s relied on me in a lot of heavy-pressure situations and he’s always believed in me,” Lazard said. “As a wide receiver, the best relationship you can have is with the quarterback. And the relationship I’ve had with him has been phenomenal.”
Rodgers only has one Super Bowl to his name, while Lazard is yet to get a ring of his own. The 27-year-old says the Jets have Super Bowl potential, especially if they manage to get Rodgers on board.
He said: “I think with Aaron Rodgers as quarterback, the possibility to win is always a thing. And with that being said, it’s really the Super Bowl."
