Ever since the Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, people have wondered if they would also move David Bakhtiari to join him. Of course, that has not happened. Still, the idea of Bakhtiari trade to the Jets came to the forefront this week after Mike Greenberg of ESPN went on this tangent:
.@Espngreeny is begging the Jets to get offensive line help immediately 😂 pic.twitter.com/lL1v0Ng6WV
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 10, 2023
In short, he wants New York to work out a trade with the Packers (again) to reunite the three-time Pro Bowl left tackle with the four-time NFL MVP.
The idea, in short, is utterly ridiculous for a wide variety of reasons.
The Green Bay Packers Have No Reason to Trade David Bakhtiari to the New York Jets

Before the season started, and even currently, some fans want the Packers to trade Bakhtiari to save money. There’s only one problem with that: he had a post-June 1 designation. This means that if Green Bay were to trade him, they would be on the hook for his dead cap hits this year and next year.
In other words, if Bakhtiari were to be traded, the Packers would have his $38.1 million dead cap hit count against them this season and his $19 million dead cap hit in 2024 count against them next season. Now, on the roster, Bakhtiari counts for $21.2 million on the 2023 Packers salary cap. Trading him now would mean Green Bay would lose $17 million in cap space.
Next season, of course, is a different story. Bakhtiari will count for $40.4 million if on the Packers roster, but has a dead cap hit of just $19 million. Next season would be the year to move on from the two-time All-Pro. Not this season.
Finances aside, Green Bay expects to compete for the NFC North Division title. In order to do that, it would be beneficial for them to have one of the best left tackles in the NFL protecting their new starting quarterback. In 11 games last season, Bakhtiari did not allow a single sack. He is the best offensive lineman they have.
A trade to the Jets, too, would be complicated because Green Bay already owns their second round pick in 2024, but that could turn into a first round pick if Rodgers plays 65% of their snaps. New York has eight draft picks next year, and, in the insane world where Green Bay would be open to trading him this year, it would require more than one of them to get the deal done.
Would the Jets want to go into the 2024 NFL Draft with a 40-year old quarterback, a $40 million left tackle, and just six or less draft picks? Highly doubtful.
David Bakhtiari Has Not Indicated That He Even Wants to Play with Aaron Rodgers Again

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Early in the offseason, Bakhtiari made waves in the Packers fanbase (and probably within the organization) when he said that 2023 was going to be a rebuilding year. Every other player and person associated with the Packers refused to use that word to describe the first year under Jordan Love.
However, the statements were taken out of context. Bakhtiari later explained that he does not think moving on from a Hall of Fame quarterback can be anything but a rebuild. That being said, he also said rebuilding does not mean losing. He pointed to the Seattle Seahawks last season who trade Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and made the NFL Playoffs in their rebuilding year.
Ever since OTA’s, Bakhtiari has been the model teammate. He and rookie Tucker Kraft partnered together in the annual Barstool Beer Olympics (of course, Bakhtiari won the chugging contest). He has also been extremely supportive of Jordan Love, recently calling him a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Hyperbole? Probably, but the fact of the matter is that Bakhtiari is saying and doing all the right things. The notion that he would be seeking or even wanting a trade is just made-up media hype.
Bakhtiari will be the Packers starting left tackle in 2023. Beyond that, who knows? But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is putting the best team out on the field, and this team is better with Bakhtiari at left tackle.
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