Emergence of rookie receivers raises questions about Allen Lazard's future in Green Bay
GREEN BAY – The promise rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have shown this season means they are the future of the Green Bay Packers receiving corps, an outcome few could have predicted even a few months ago.
If they continue their current path, they easily could be receivers No. 1 and No. 2 next season.
But as any general manager who has constructed a roster knows, present performance doesn’t guarantee future gains and so Brian Gutekunst must have some insurance if either or both has a sophomore slip-up.
It’s not like it hasn’t happened before here.
Davante Adams caught 38 passes, averaged 11.7 yards per catch and scored three touchdowns his rookie season, then averaged 9.7 yards and caught one touchdown his second season. He established himself as one of the best in the business after that, but 2015 is a season he’d like to forget.
James Jones had equally disappointing second season with just 20 catches and a touchdown but went on to catch 31 touchdowns over the next four years in becoming another in a long line of outstanding receivers the Packers have had this century. He, too, stumbled along the way.
It means Gutekunst would be smart to have some veteran stability going into next season and it raises the question of just how far he’ll be willing to go to keep Allen Lazard, one of his hardest working and most reliable players in the wide receiver room.
A classic late bloomer who some teams tabbed as a future tight end, Lazard is in the final year of his contract. He leads the team with 620 receiving yards and is second to Watson (seven) with five touchdown catches. His 13.8 yards per reception ranks second only to Watson (16.0) among teammates with at least 15 catches and is tied for 29th in the NFL.
At 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, he doesn’t run like either Watson or Doubs, but he gets open, blocks with the best of them and doesn't ever complain about his role.
“I definitely lay my head down at night knowing I gave my best,” Lazard said Tuesday. “I put my all into study, into preparing my body for the week and doing my best on Sunday. The results and statistics definitely aren’t where I think any of us wanted to be in that regard at all.
“But it's always about the journey, the process. It's never about one day or one game or one season, so I just got to keep on working like I always have in my entire career and try to improve and continue getting better and be more consistent.”
Lazard could command big money in free agency
The question is whether he’ll be able to continue doing it in Green Bay.
It’s possible Lazard could receive a contract worth more than $10 million a year in free agency. His former teammate, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, received that despite having six fewer touchdowns and 30 fewer first downs in roughly the same amount of catches as Lazard over his four years with the Packers.
He also is one of the better blocking receivers in the game.
Given an expected large increase in the salary cap, Lazard’s number could go up. Or maybe his market isn’t as good as he hopes and the increase in the cap allows the Packers to fit him in at an affordable price. The Packers are going to have to sign some veteran receivers, so it’s just a matter of how much they value his ability.
Having just 45 catches during a contract year isn’t ideal and the Packers have not tried to sign Lazard to an extension, so hitting the free agent market appears a likelihood. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ status undoubtedly will play a role in how much the Packers are willing to pay Lazard.
The Packers felt good enough about the fourth-year receiver that in March they issued a $3.986 million restricted free agent tender that required any team interested in signing him to pay a second-round pick in compensation. Based on his 40 catches for 513 yards and eight touchdowns in ’21, they expected a better season this year, but his drop in production is consistent with everything that’s gone wrong with the offense this year.
It's very likely that Gutekunst won’t bring back veterans Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins, both of whom will be in their 30s next season and most likely will take a back seat to Watson and Doubs if the pair play at a high level.
Unofficially, the two rookies have been on the field for only 65 plays this year, so the coaches will want to see more of them together in the final four weeks of the season. Watson has logged a hefty 209 snaps over the past four games, but they have not come at the expense of Watkins’ and Cobb’s snaps.
Lazard is the only receiver with more snaps (230) than Watson during that span.
Lazard’s number of receptions has dropped since Watson’s emergence, but his production has been steady. He caught three passes for 45 yards against Dallas, five for 57 against Tennessee, two for 24 against Philadelphia and five for 67 against Chicago.
Though he hasn’t scored a touchdown since the Detroit game in Week 9, he consistently finds a way to move the chains. He gets a first down on 80% of his catches, which ranks No. 3 in the NFL.
“That’s more of understanding the game and everything,” Lazard said. “If it’s second-and-6, making sure I get 6 yards, so we don’t get into a third-and-1, third-and-2 situation. I just understand the smaller details where it might not be a touchdown but at least we’re in a situation to continue a drive.”
The veteran is confident in the trio of rookie receivers
Lazard said he’s not surprised the Packers haven’t talked to him about the future. He said they’re following their business protocol, which has been to offer extensions during the season only to their very best players. He dismissed the notion that Watson, Doubs and fellow rookie Samori Toure wouldn’t be able to hold down the receiver room if he’s gone because he thinks they’re extremely talented and capable of handling the responsibility.
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But the Packers have almost always had multiple veterans at wide receiver, mostly because Rodgers prefers it that way. If Rodgers is back next season, he will want someone with Lazard’s wisdom and knowledge to lead the receiver room.
The rookies appreciate what he does for the group, too.
“(He’s) really valuable,” Doubs said. “He's been helping all the young guys in the room. I know he's young, but just as far as understanding the game, he's always been in, not just myself, but Christian's ear, some of the younger guys that have just come into the room. He's been a huge help.”
Lazard said he has been able to separate the business part of the job from the on-field part, but he knows there’s a good chance he won’t be with the Packers next season. He just isn’t thinking about it much because there are still four games to go in this one.
“I’m trying to stay in the present,” he said. “I’m staying focused. Free agency will eventually come and I’ll end up wherever I need to end up. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of that, just stay focused on everything at hand.”