FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The first time New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers studied Allen Lazard was from afar. Intrigued, he pulled Lazard into his orbit, and the wide receiver's life hasn't been the same.
It was Green Bay Packers training camp, 2019. The team practiced on two fields -- starters and key reserves on one, Packers hopefuls on the other. From a distance, Rodgers witnessed a 6-foot-5 receiver making impressive catches.
Lazard was a relatively anonymous player -- undrafted out of Iowa State, cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, picked up by the Packers late in the 2018 season and thrown into the last game for precisely one garbage-time snap in a blowout loss.