The Green Bay Packers are betting on a great deal of unknowns working out in their favor in order for 2023 to be a competitive season. Among these is the safety position, where they are banking on Darnell Savage returning to 2020 form and Jonathan Owens/Rudy Ford/ Tarvarius Moore being adequate starters next to him.
Indeed, the safety position was a problem that I called attention to in March of 2022, knowing that Adrian Amos was on the decline and that last season was the last of his contract. Now Amos is playing with Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets while the Packers’ safety room remains one giant question mark.
While the Packers seem confident in their safety room, others are not and have proposed various trade packages that would land Green Bay a quality starter. One of these was suggested by Wisconsin Sports Heroics’ McQuade Arnold, who suggests that Green Bay trade David Bakhtiari to the Tennessee Titans for Kevin Byard.
The Full Green Bay Packers Trade Proposal Involving David Bakhtiari

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Arnold suggests that Green Bay trade Bakhtiari and a fifth round pick to the Titans for Byrad. His reasoning is that Byrad, a two-time First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl safety, would be an immense upgrade for Green Bay’s safety room.
And he is right. However, this trade will not and should not happen for a variety of reasons.
1. The Green Bay Packers Will Save No Money By Trading David Bakhtiari

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There is no doubt: Bakhtiari’s current contract makes the possibility of him being a Packer in 2024 extremely low. If he is released in the offseason, Green Bay can save nearly $21 million and just pay a $19 million cap hit.
Here’s the problem with trading him: a dead cap it is money that a player has already been paid, but it came in the form of bonuses that previously did not count against a past salary cap. Even if Bakhtiari were to be traded this season, Green Bay would still have that $19 million dead cap hit next season because they have already paid him that money.
The same is true for the Titans and the $13 million dead cap hit Byard will have in 2024. But such a trade would be financially worse for the Packers because, in the deal, they would also acquire Byard’s void years. This would mean $11.6 million would count against their caps in 2025 and 2026, and he may not even be on the team at that point.
*All salary cap information via Spotrac
2. The Tennessee Titans’ Nissan Stadium Has Artificial Turf

As Packers fans are well aware, Bakhtiari missed over a year as he healed from a torn ACL suffered late in 2020. Last season, he played in 11 games, and noticeably missed or played fewer snaps in games played on synthetic turf, which is known to be terrible for healing/previously injured knees.
For example, Bakhtiari missed games at Minnesota and at Miami, both of which have synthetic turf. In games against the Giants (in London, played on synthetic turf) and at Detroit, he played 40% and 57% of offensive snaps respectively.
Going into this season, the Packers are playing a wait-and-see approach to how Bakhtiari’s knee will respond to synthetic turf fields. Basically, Week Two at Atlanta is going to really set the tone for how much and how effectively he can play on these surfaces.
The Titans’ Nissan Stadium has a synthetic surface. If the Packers are worried about Bakhtiari’s knee and turf, other teams will be too, and a team that plays on a synthetic surface certainly would not give up an All Pro safety for a lineman who may not be able to play home games due to the surface of the field.
3. Depth at Left Tackle Is a Problem for 2024, Not 2023

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If the Packers were to trade Bakhtiari, that would mean left tackle would be played by either Yosh Nijman or Zach Tom. While either on of those players would be “fine” at left tackle, they are no David Bakhtiari. Here are the overall PFF grades for each in 2022:
- Bakhtiari: 79.8
- Tom: 68.3
- Nijman: 63.1
In Jordan Love’s first season as the Packers’ starter, the organization owes it to him to have the best left tackle they can provide protecting his blindside. That tackle is Bakhtiari, who happens to also be one of the best in the NFL (did not allow a single sack last season).
Next offseason, the team will face some tough decisions. We have already discussed Bakhtiari’s contract, but Nijman also will be an unrestricted free agent. Furthermore, Green Bay did not take any offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Left tackle is an issue for 2024, not 2023. The offense will be much better off with Bakhtiari in the lineup. Tom may very well be the left tackle of the future, but he is not on Bakhtiari’s level yet. Love deserves at least one year, his first year, being protected by one of the best in the game.
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