The future of star left tackle David Bakhtiari with the Green Bay Packers seems to be growing bleaker and bleaker with each passing day. There’s just no clarity on that front, leading to some speculations about where he could potentially continue his NFL career if not with the Packers.
Answering a question from a fan asking about how much chance could there be of Bakhtiari playing again for Green Bay, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic floated the idea of a possible reunion of the offensive lineman with former Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers, who is now a quarterback for the New York Jets.
No. Anything is possible, but I’d be stunned if Bakhtiari is back. He’s elite when healthy, but the Packers can’t count on him to be consistently healthy anymore, even if all parties think his latest knee surgery is finally what Bakhtiari needs to be in the clear. Not only that, but the Packers can free up a massive amount of cap space by cutting or trading Bakhtiari. Teams know the Packers will cut him if they can’t trade him, so I anticipate a release, but you never know what the Jets will do for Aaron Rodgers’ close friend.
Bakhtiari’s health has been a major reason why there’s so much uncertainty with regard to his outlook with the Packers. After suffering a devastating knee injury back in the 2020 NFL season, Bakhtiari has struggled with his health. He played in only a game in the 2021 NFL season and appeared in 11 the following campaign. In 2023, though, he saw action for just a game before getting ruled out for the remainder of the NFL calendar year after going under the knife to repair a knee issue.
What Should The Green Bay Packers Do With David Bakhtiari?
Two options the Packers have on Bakhtiari are to cut him or trade him. However, it should also be noted that Bakhtiari carries a big cap hit after he signed a four-year, $92 million extension deal with the team back in 2020. The Packers have managed to convert parts of his salary into bonuses to create some cap space, but they’re still $7.39 million over the effective cap space. It’s also unlikely for other teams to take such an expensive gamble on a talented but oft-injured asset.
