Allen Lazard's resurgence continues with Aaron Rodgers' return to the Jets

Aaron Rodgers faced a familiar face in his first home TD as a Jet.

Allen Lazard, who seems reborn thanks to the healthy Rodgers, caught a block and sprinted 10 yards to the goal in the first quarter of the 24-3 victory over the Patriots on Thursday night.

Instead of celebrating, Lazard immediately ran to Rodgers to give him the ball as a souvenir – a symbolic moment in contrast to the quarterback's last appearance at MetLife, when his Achilles tendon ruptured and Gang Green's 2023 season exploded on the fourth snap of Game 1.

Lazard was a disaster last season without Rodgers.

He was only able to catch 23 of 49 attempted passes and managed just 311 yards, which was a steep decline compared to his previous seasons with the Packers when Rodgers was quarterback.

Lazard, who joined the Jets on a four-year, $44 million contract that was seen as an appeasement to Rodgers, was even deactivated for the final two games of last season.

But for these Jets (2-1) he was better than expected.

The 28-year-old has already scored three touchdowns, two more than last season.

His hit on Friday was an amusing sight, as Lazard's compression undershirt hung about 25 feet behind him in the hand of New England CB Alex Austin, who missed the tackle but didn't let go of the white shirt.

It looked like Lazard had a huge cock.

On the Jets' next drive, he caught a 27-yard pass and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Breece Hall that gave Gang Green a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.

Lazard finished with three catches for 48 yards and the touchdown, while Rodgers had an outstanding performance with 281 yards on 27 of 35 passing, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

“Winning heals a lot of things,” Lazard said. “I feel great. Last year is last year. I've had a lot of bad luck in my life and I always fight through it. Those moments suck, they're not fun at all, but that's life.”

After their touchdown tie on Thursday, Rodgers hugged Lazard — notable only because the quarterback appeared to have forcefully rejected a hug from Saleh later in the game.

The ball was passed from Lazard to Rodgers and was counted as “Rodgers’ first TD at MetLife.”

It was another moment the former Packers could share – less than two weeks after scoring Rodgers' first touchdown as a Jet anywhere.

“When I went into the game against San Francisco, I told him I wanted the first touchdown he threw as a Jet, and after I had that, then his first touchdown here at [MetLife] Stadium,” said Lazard. “The way his season ended here last year and everything, that was a special moment for us. I'm so happy for him. That he made it at 40 years old, after an Achilles tendon injury and three games in [11] Days, I am proud of everyone, especially him.

“And it was a special moment for us