Allen Jamel Lazard (born December 11, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

of the

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(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

and was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2018. He also has played for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. Lazard was a highly-rated recruit coming out of high school, where he was named a ''USA Today'' High School All-American. Lazard has been selected to the first-team All-Big 12 in both

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and

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and is Iowa State's career leader in both receptions and receiving yards.

Early life

Urbandale High School Urbandale High School (UHS) is a public high school in Urbandale, Iowa. It is the only high school in the Urbandale Community School District. History Until 1937, students wishing to pursue a high school education traveled to other cities, a ...

, Lazard played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

and was a four-year starter on both offense and defense. Lazard still holds the school career records in receptions (105), receiving yards (2,349),

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

(34) and

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

(14). His high school honors include but are not limited to: ''USA Today'' All American, Des Moines Register's Offensive Player of the Year in 2013, Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, and a three-time All-State selection. A consensus four-star wide receiver, Lazard was a highly touted recruit out of high school. He was ranked the No. 1 recruit of the state of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and the 7th best receiver in the country by

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

. Lazard ultimately followed his father Kevin (1990–93) and brother Anthony (2013–16) in playing for the Iowa State Cyclones over Notre Dame,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

. Prior to enrolling at Iowa State, Lazard played in the 2014

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl (currently branded as the Navy All-American Bowl for sponsorship reasons) is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is p ...

College career

2014 season

Opting not to redshirt, Lazard started 11 of the Cyclones 12 games. He finished second on the team in receptions (45) and receiving yards (593) as well as scoring three touchdowns. Both reception and receiving totals rank second all-time for an ISU freshman. The first catch of his career went for 48 yards against

North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural Colle ...

and he caught his first career touchdown pass against

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

the next week. His season high was 96 yards and a touchdown against the

Toledo Rockets The Toledo Rockets are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The ...

. At the conclusion of the season, Lazard was named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team and earned ESPN.com Big 12 All-Underclassman honors.

2015 season

Lazard built on the success from his freshman season by starting all 11 games he played in and led the team in receptions (56), receiving yards (808) and touchdown catches (6). He ranked fifth in the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

and 59th nationally in receptions per game (5.1) and was sixth in the Big 12 and 51st in the nation in receiving yardage (73.5). His seasons highs included a then career-high 147 yards receiving and a career-long 74-yard touchdown against

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

and a pair of touchdowns on five catches for 87 yards against

. Lazard was named Second-team All-Big 12 by the AP and ESPN's Big 12 All-Underclassman team for second-straight season as well receiving the Pete Taylor Most Valuable Player.

2016 season

Lazard's breakout season was in

and was one of the greatest single seasons in Cyclone history. He once again led the team in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,018) and TD catches (7) as well as breaking the school record for 100-yard receiving games with six and becoming the fourth player in school history to record a 1,000-yard season. He ranked sixth in the Big 12 and 37th nationally in receptions per game (5.8) and ranked fifth in the Big 12 and 29th nationally in receiving yards per game (84.8). Lazard opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard games against in-state rivals UNI (129) and

(111). Against

, he tallied eight receptions for 134 yards. He recorded a career-high 10 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown against

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. Lazard finished the season with three straight 100-yard games against Kansas (120),

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

(137) and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

(103). Lazard was named First-team All-Big 12 by the Coaches and ESPN and as the Pete Taylor Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.

2017 season

200px, Lazard in college at Iowa State in 2017 In

, Lazard continued on his success of 2016. He again led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns with 71, 941, and 10 respectively. Against

Northern Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, Lazard had eight receptions for 108 yards, he followed that up with two touchdown catches against

the next week. In the win at No. 3

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, Allen had 69 yards and a game-sealing touchdown. In the home victory against

, Lazard had another 100-yard performance with 106 yards on six catches. His two best games of the season were nine receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown against

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

and 10 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown in the

Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic Cit ...

win against No. 19

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

. At the conclusion of the season, Lazard was named First-Team All-Big 12 by the coaches and Second-team All-Big 12 by the media.

College statistics

College records

Iowa State * Career receptions, 241 * Career receiving yards, 3,360 * Single season touchdowns, 10 (

) * Consecutive games with a reception, 48 * Consecutive 100-yard receiving games, 4 * 100-yard receiving games, 12

Professional career

Pre-draft

Lazard received an invitation to take part in the

2018 Senior Bowl The 2018 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2018 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game was the last ...

Jacksonville Jaguars

Lazard signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day.

Green Bay Packers

2018 season

On December 18, 2018, Lazard was signed by the

off the Jaguars' practice squad.

2019 season

Lazard was waived on August 31, 2019, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 4, 2019. Lazard recorded his first professional touchdown, a 35-yard reception from

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

, during a Week 6 win over the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

on October 14, 2019. He had a breakout performance on December 1, 2019, in a 31–13 Week 13 victory over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, posting three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Overall, Lazard finished the 2019 season with 35 receptions for 477 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns, while also adding one rushing attempt for 21 yards.

2020 season

On March 17, 2020, the Packers tendered Lazard as an exclusive-rights free agent. He signed the one-year tender on April 27, 2020. In the season-opener against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Lazard caught four passes for 63 yards and his first touchdown of the season during the 43–34 road victory. During ''Sunday Night Football'' against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in Week 3, Lazard finished with six receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown in the 37–30 road victory. He was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2020, after undergoing core muscle surgery. Lazard was activated on November 17, 2020. In Week 12, in his second game off of injured reserve, Lazard caught his third touchdown of the season in a 41–25 victory over the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, along with 23 receiving yards. Lazard finished the season with 33 receptions for 451 yards and three touchdowns, nearly matching his previous year total despite playing in six fewer games. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, Lazard recorded four catches for 96 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, during the 32–18 win. In the

NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, Lazard recorded three catches for 62 yards during the 31–26 loss.

2021 season

On July 28, 2021, Lazard signed his exclusive rights tender, keeping him in Green Bay for the

2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. Lazard's season started off slowly, having 15 catches for 184 yards through the first eight games of the season. On October 26, ahead of the Packers' Week 9 game against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, fellow wide receiver

Davante Adams Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons of college football for the Fresno State Bu ...

tested positive for COVID-19. Lazard, who was unvaccinated, was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list due to being a close contact. He was activated off the COVID-19/Reserve list on November 1, 2021. Lazard was fined $14,650 for violating NFL COVID-19 protocols along with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Lazard was the recipient of backup quarterback Jordan Love's first NFL touchdown in a Week 9 13–7 road loss to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Lazard picked up the pace through the second half of the season. In Week 14, Lazard had six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown in a 45–30 win over the Bears. In Week 16, in a Christmas Day showdown with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Lazard caught Rodgers' 443rd career touchdown pass with the Packers, breaking the previous record of 442, held by

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...

. The following week, he caught all six of his targets for 72 yards and a touchdown as the Packers won 37–10 against the Vikings to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In the regular-season finale, Lazard played just one half as the Packers rested their starters in the second half against the

; despite that, Lazard matched a season-high 75 receiving yards and notched a career-high two touchdowns in a single game as the Packers lost on the road by a score of 37–30. Lazard finished the 2021 season with 40 receptions for 513 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs. His five touchdowns over the final five weeks of the season were tied for second most in the NFL over that time span, second only to teammate Davante Adams.

2022 season

On March 15, 2022, the Packers placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Lazard. It was signed on June 13, 2022. In Week 4, against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, Lazard had six receptions for 116 receiving yards in the 27–24 overtime victory. In the 2022 season, Lazard appeared in and started 15 games. He finished with 60 receptions for 788 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.

New York Jets

On March 17, 2023, Lazard signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the

, preceding Rodgers' trade to New York from the Packers. In 14 games in the 2023 season, he finished with 23 receptions for 311 yards and one touchdown, playing without Rodgers under center for the vast majority of the season as the latter suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in week 1. With his signing seen by many as an "appeasement" move to get Rodgers to agree to the trade, Lazard was deactivated when Rodgers was ruled out the last two games of the season. He finished the 2023 season with 23 receptions for 311 yards and a touchdown. The following season, Lazard caught Rodgers' first touchdown pass as a Jet during week 1. Despite dropping a crucial pass during the game's opening drive, Lazard finished with two touchdowns during the 32–19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. In the first six games of 2024 alone, Lazard surpassed his total receptions and yards from the previous season and caught five touchdowns. On October 31, 2024, Lazard was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

due to a chest injury. He was activated on December 7. He finished the 2024 season with 37 receptions for 530 yards and six touchdowns.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

New York Jets bioIowa State Cyclones bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazard, Allen 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa American football wide receivers Iowa State Cyclones football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Green Bay Packers players New York Jets players