Soon, Packers can reduce Allen Lazard’s contract offer by $3 million
With the Green Bay Packers’ top two wide receivers going elsewhere this offseason, there’s a third who has yet to return to the team–Allen Lazard.
Lazard was the lone participant to not show up to mandatory minicamp last week and the questions continue to grow about what it will take to get him back to the team. To be fair, he wasn’t required to attend since minicamp is for players under contract, and Lazard technically is not under contract yet.
Green Bay designated a restricted free agent tender to Lazard earlier in the offseason that would pay him $3. 99 million for 2022. That also gives them the ability to be the only team who negotiates with him about a new contract, giving them all the power in the world.
The deadline where the Green Bay Packers can reduce Allen Lazard’s restricted free agent tender by $3 million is quickly approaching.
It appears that Lazard is holding out for a bigger and longer contract closer to what he’s worth. However, if he continues to play games with Green Bay, they could reduce his tender by a whopping $3 million. If Lazard hasn’t signed his tender come June 15th, the Packers have the ability to reduce the tender to $0.94 million.
Allen Lazard has not signed his $3.986M RFA tender
— Ken Ingalls - Packers Cap 💰 (@KenIngalls) May 15, 2022
Packers have sole negotiating rights for Lazard in 2022
Packers have to right to reduce the RFA tender down to $935K on June 15 if still unsigned
Lazard is likely looking for a bigger deal, but the CBA is stacked against him
Lazard is one of the best options Green Bay has to fill their massive void at the no. 1 receiver spot and it’s unclear if they would clearly disrespect him like that. It’s also unclear what Lazard wants and what it would take to get him back with the team.
Both sides are engulfed in a staring contest, waiting for the other participant to blink.
On the contractual side, Green Bay has all the negotiating power–the amount of money is locked in, they are the only team who can negotiate with him, and they have the ability to cut 75 percent of the salary without penalty in just a couple of days.
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From the football standpoint, however, Lazard holds the leverage. The Packers have put together a rag-tag gang of receivers and Lazard is one of the few players who knows this offense from last year. He also has a budding rapport with back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers and might be their best receiver for 2022.
Let’s see who blinks first.