Every NFL team makes plenty of free agent signings that they go on to regret. For the New York Jets, though, their offseason failures often turn into colossal mishaps that the court of public opinion gleefully makes fun of.

Take the recently released Allen Lazard as the newest example. The former Green Bay Packers wide receiver and undrafted free agent signed a four-year, $44 million deal in the 2023 offseason to be a veteran voice in an otherwise younger locker room.

It simply didn’t work out. Lazard suffered through one of the worst drop rates in the NFL during his run with the organization, and he never established himself as a competent pass catcher for a struggling offense.

Questions about leadership, practice habits, and attitude over the quarterback position followed the now 30-year-old. With his release from the organization on Tuesday, one of the worst free agent signings in team history has finally come to a close.

When you have a signing as bad as Lazard, there are important lessons for the organization to take away.

Although the Jets’ current regime was not responsible for signing Lazard, those lessons should suit them well going into 2026.

Lessons from Lazard

The numbers are what they are for Lazard during his three-year run with the team. In his first year with the club, he was benched due to bad drops and a lack of focus following the injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

While Lazard picked things up when Rodgers returned in 2024, it was never in a way that proved him worthy of his nearly $11 million salary.

In his three-year run with the team, the Jets’ wideout recorded 70 receptions for 911 yards and eight touchdowns. His 15.7% drop rate as a Jet (per PFF) made him unplayable for stretches.

The lesson, therefore, is a simple one.

Free agent receivers should not be fully judged based on their production at their previous stop. There are too many variables that go into their numbers. Lazard’s true quality of play in Green Bay was masked by a four-time NFL MVP. He was never going to be a WR2 or even a WR3. His talent level never appeared up to that level, regardless of his 20 touchdown receptions off passes from Rodgers.

Value at the position comes in the intangibles. Can the free agent fit into our offensive scheme based on their skill set? How dependent are they on great quarterback play?

For Lazard, these were major issues. Things never worked out for the Jets due to those reasons.

Secondly, if the Jets are going to sign a free agent wide receiver, bringing someone in who can actually catch the football at a consistent level is probably best for everyone. Lazard’s hands were already an apparent problem in Green Bay, hidden by Rodgers’ accuracy. His weak hands reared their ugly head once he didn’t have an all-time great consistently dropping the ball into his breadbasket.

The Jets need to recognize that when scouting free-agent receivers, they must prioritize reliable hands and scheme fit. These two factors should be the driving forces in how they attack the position in the offseason.