Set for what could be a fascinating platform year, Allen Lazard is now under contract with the Packers. The veteran signed his second-round RFA tender Monday, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

This amounts to a necessary move for Lazard, who could have seen the Packers slash his salary had he not signed the tender by June 15. RFAs unsigned beyond that date are subject to seeing their tender salary — in Lazard’s case, $3.99MM — turn into 120% of their previous season’s earnings. Lazard made $850K last year. The young talent missed Green Bay’s minicamp last week, not being required to attend due to his contract situation.

The 6-foot-5 receiver could be set for one of the more unusual role expansions in recent memory. The Packers’ decisions to trade franchise-tagged wideout Davante Adams to the Raiders and then let Marquez Valdes-Scantling sign with the Chiefs leave Lazard, 26, as a candidate to vault from Aaron Rodgers‘ No. 3 receiver to his top aerial weapon. While Green Bay made some receiver additions — mainly journeyman Sammy Watkins and second-round pick Christian Watson — Lazard has a major opportunity in his contract year.

A UDFA out of Iowa State, Lazard caught on with the Packers in 2019. Rodgers consistently praised the newcomer, who has been a Packers regular for the past three years, in that first year and has continued to rely on him as a complementary target. In 2021, Lazard delivered his best work, posting a career-high 513 receiving yards. His eight touchdown catches were more than he tallied between the 2019 and ’20 seasons.

This could be an opportunity for the ex-Jaguars post-draft signing to earn a long-term Packers extension. The team has no veteran wideouts signed beyond 2022, with Randall Cobb‘s deal expiring at season’s end. If Lazard is not ultimately in the Packers’ long-term plans, he has a chance to carve out a strong 2023 free agency market.

It looks like another piece of the Packers’ passing attack will likely remain in Green Bay. The team is placing the second-round tender on wide receiver Allen Lazard (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). 

The one-year deal will come in at a price of just under $4MM. That will roughly double the former UDFA’s career earnings. After making a single reception in 2018, the 26-year-old has grown into a significant role in Green Bay’s offense.

Following two straight campaigns with almost identical numbers in 2019 and 2020, Lazard had a career year last season. In 15 games, he registered 40 catches for 513 yards and eight touchdowns. Alongside Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, he played a key role in the team’s receiver room.

Tom Silverstein of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that it is “likely” the Packers guarantee a portion of the salary the tender comes with. If that does happen, it may encourage Lazard to sign it, which would open up the possibility of a restructure – something the Packers have become intimately familiar with this offseason, as they try to keep as many pieces of last year’s NFC-topping squad around as possible.

Lazard now has until April 22 to see what his market could be regarding offer sheets from outside teams. If he were to land a more lucrative offer, the Packers would receive a second round pick (along with some financial breathing room) in return. However, that would leave them in need of a replacement for a solid complimentary piece to their offensive core.

While the Packers pursue a trade for one wideout, another Packers receiver inked their deal today. Wide receiver Allen Lazard signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender today, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (via Twitter).

[RELATED: Packers, Texans Discussing Randall Cobb Trade]

The wideout was slapped with the tender earlier this offseason. The ERFA deal ties Lazard up for another year.

After going undrafted out of Iowa State in 2018, Lazard has spent the majority of his three-year career with the Packers. Following a breakout campaign in 2019, the receiver put up similar stats in 2020, albeit in six fewer games. Lazard ultimately finished last season having appeared in 10 games (nine starts) with 33 receptions for 451 yards and three touchdowns. He also came up big during the postseason, hauling in seven receptions for 158 yards and a touchdowns in two contests.

With Aaron Rodgers seemingly recommitted to playing next season in Green Bay, it remains to be seen how much they’ll do to add to their receivers corps. For instance, earlier today we learned that the organization was pursuing former Packers wideout Randall Cobb via trade. At the moment, Lazard joins a grouping (includeing Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, and Devin Funchess) that’s battling for targets behind Davante Adams.

Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard is out indefinitely after undergoing core muscle surgery, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The timing is unfortunate as Lazard is coming off of one of the best games of his career — a six-catch, 146-yard showing against the Saints. The Packers placed Lazard on IR Saturday.

The Packers could now be without their top two receivers heading into Monday’s game against the Falcons. Davante Adams remains questionable with a hamstring injury, which could leave Green Bay with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Malik Taylor, and recent practice squad call-up Darrius Shepherd as their only three receivers. At minimum, you can expect the Packers to add one receiver to the group over the weekend, possibly Robert Foster, Caleb Scott, or Juwann Winfree from their expanded 16-man unit.

So far, Aaron Rodgers has loved what he’s seen from the 24-year-old former UDFA. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait a while before he gets to work with him again.

“He was as productive as just about anybody in camp, and I really like his approach,” Rodgers said (via ESPN.com). “He’s the one who’s always in Davante’s ear, listening to what he’s talking about. Damn near every time I come in the Hutson Center during training camp when we’re starting practice, I walk in and do the same thing, put my helmet down. And Shep is picking Davante’s brain about releases and certain things. And look, I try and pay attention as much as I possibly can, but that sticks with you. That impacts you. You’re seeing just that desire to improve and get better. And then you see it on the field.”