The future of stalwart David Bakhtiari has been receiving a lot of attention following the pretty entertaining Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers fans have turned their attentions back to their franchise with a keen eye on what moves and deals take place during the 2024 offseason.
Packers fans will undoubtedly have hopes of their own going into the next campaign as they continue to adjust to life without the iconic Aaron Rodgers, and ultimately they will be hoping things come together again and the things they read on TTP suggest that they will see the kind of season that takes them back to the Super Bowl again so they can create further history of their own.
David Bakhtiari Future with Packers in Limbo
One of the biggest Packers related stories right now in the American media concerns David Bakhtiari, as it is now being reported that after their eleven year arrangement, management have now lost patience with the 32 year old offensive tackle given the injury issues that have plagued him in more recent years.
The veteran has had a very stellar career in the NFL, and it was not that long ago that he was viewed as one of the very best players in his position in the entire league, but injuries have significantly blighted him, and the speculation says that they are now willing to cut him from the roster.
His knee problem has rumbled on since 2020 after he suffered an injury in late season practice, and despite five surgeries to repair, and to try to fix his problems, it seems the Packers’ longest serving player since Aaron Rodgers and Mason Crosby left, has just not shown enough improvement on a rehabilitation front for the franchise to now give him additional time to prove his fitness.
He has been forced to miss 45 games since the injury initially developed, and the fourth round NFL Draft pick only made it onto the field once during the last campaign, but it is widely believed that Bakhtiari himself is absolutely not considering retirement – believing that he is making good progress and is fully capable of continue to play for at least another year or two.
With him now approaching the end of the deal he signed midway through 2020, it seems the Packers now simply want to cut their losses, as although he has 12 months left on that contract, none of his salary is guaranteed anymore. It is an unfortunate story in many ways, and we really do see it far too often in football, having already banked $40 million in his long career so far, the tackle was predicted to make an eye watering $92 million until his injury hell first began and totally waylaid his playing career.
The two time All Pro (2018/2020) does appear to have options available to him if the Packers do take steps to remove him from the roster, and one of them is fully believed to be a reunion with the aforementioned Aaron Rodgers at the New York Jets.
Would David Bakhtiari to the New York Jets Work?
With his statistics over the last four years, this news may not be that well received by Jets fans, but from the Packers side it would make plenty of sense.
Rodgers has, of course, made little secret of the fact that since his move to the Jets he has actively attempted to tap up a few of his former Green Bay colleagues. Wide receivers Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett have already made the same move, so although it is speculation, it is also an educated guess that given their history together Rodgers might want another familiar and understanding face with him if Bakhtiari is in a position to prove himself and his fitness moving forward.
From New York’s perspective, they have a huge need for both tackle positions as they went through 13 different offensive linemen in 2023 due to injury issues of their own – so whilst the 32 year old might be a risky punt for them, he could bring them some much needed stability if he could remain fit, particularly given his understanding with Rodgers anyway.
There would, of course, be plenty of things to sort out when it came to what a future contract would look like, especially the financial elements associated, but in some ways you could say Tyron Smith may be a good guide.
Injuries have held him back, but when fit he is a high level performer even aged 33 years old and it is speculated his free agent deal is around the $7.5 million a year mark, so David Bakhtiari would envisage himself being in that kind of ballpark potentially.
It could potentially be a win, win kind of deal in the eyes of Packers management.