Who Should I Start? Allen Lazard or Olamide Zaccheaus

Friday, February 14, 5:38 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard is fully expected to be released after Year 2 of his disastrous four-year, $44 million contract he signed as a free agent in 2023. Lazard was downright bad in 2023 and played only slightly better with quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year before getting hurt late in the season. The 29-year-old was one of the most drop-prone receivers in the league and admitted that he struggles when Rodgers isn't on the field. The Jets will sav $6.6 million in salary cap space if/when they cut Lazard while taking on $6.5 million in dead money. If he's a post-June 1 cut, the Jets would save $11 million with a $2.1 million dead-cap penalty. Lazard was a major miss, catching 60 passes for 841 yards and seven touchdowns in his two seasons with the Jets. If Rodgers retires this offseason, Lazard would be pretty bummed.

Sunday, January 26, 7:14 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus caught four of his five targets for 26 yards during their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Title game. Zaccheaus also caught a two-point conversion in the third quarter. Zaccheaus' five targets matched him with No.2 wideout Dyami Brown. His yardage total was the fourth-most among Washington pass catchers. This was a nice bounce-back showing for Zaccheaus, as he caught just three passes for 19 yards in the wild-card round and did not get on the scoresheet in the divisional round. However, during the final three weeks of the regular season, Zacchaeus was a key part of the offense as he tallied 68.7 yards per game with three touchdowns. Zaccheaus will likely continue to operate as a depth wide receiver if he returns to Washington in 2025.