The Green Bay Packers have a number of moves they will need to make this off-season in order to get under the salary cap in 2023. One major move that has already been made was Aaron Jones’ contract being restructured. That move alone saved nearly $5 million in 2023. As it turns out, there may be another move lurking that the Green Bay Packers will be executing. David Bakhtiari has a massive cap hit of $29 million in 2023, which has made him a likely restructuring candidate heading into the off-season.
David Bakhtiari Named Likely Restructuring Candidate For 2023
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report said the All-Pro left tackle makes the most sense for a restructure:
While the fate of superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains unclear as he mulls his future during a darkness retreat, the ball is in the front office’s court regarding the status of left tackle David Bakhtiari.
Green Bay could just release Bakhtiari, but it would require the club to take on an unsightly $23.1 million in dead money. A restructure makes the most sense — a move that could reduce Bakhtiari’s cap hit to approximately $21 million.
Green Bay accomplished one of its more important to-do items after running back Aaron Jones agreed to a pay cut and restructure last week that reduced his cap hit noticeably. Getting Bakhtiari to do the same will set up the Packers for a strong spring in free agency.
Bakhtiari’s cap hits in 2023 and 2024 now become even more enormous, with his deal charging $28.58 million in 2023 and $32.58 million in 2024. Those numbers are massive, even for the best LT in the NFL. Trade or restructure seems to be the best options for David Bakhtiari. Even then, both seem like a long shot. Green Bay likely wouldn’t get enough in return to justify trading arguably the best LT in the game with his contract and recent injury history. The Green Bay Packers best bet for David Bakhtiari going forward is to get him healthy, restructure his contract, and have him anchor that left side of the offensive line.
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