This offseason, the Green Bay Packers will have to make a number of difficult choices. Naturally, this is nothing new, and it’s nothing compared to the predicament they were in during the previous offseason. It’s true that one of the biggest decisions in team history was the choice to let go of and trade four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.https://www.bbcsport247.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Aaron-Rodgers-David-Bakhtiari.webp
For the Packers’ benefit, things turned out okay. While the Packers received a large compensation in the draft for Rodgers, Jordan Love had the finest season of any first-year starting quarterback in the history of the team. In addition, Rodgers’ Achilles tendon tear ended his 2023 season after just four offensive plays.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 season, choices must be made about a few standout players on their squad. Of them, the Packers’ decision about three-time Pro Bowl left tackle David Bakhtiari may be the most obvious.
To put it briefly, the Packers can save $21 million by releasing Bakhtiari, whose salary charge in 2024 will be close to $40 million. Additionally, after knee issues have restricted Bakhtiari to only 13 games over the last three seasons, Green Bay may decide to take a risk on him. This would very certainly need to be done under a revised contract.
Even while Bakhtiari is excellent when healthy, the Packers just cannot rely on him ever returning to full health. The Packers will likely try everything to avoid paying the $40 million that will be due in 2024, the penultimate year of his deal.
The Packers’ 2024 salary cap would be affected in the same way by a trade or Bakhtiari’s termination. They would bear a dead cap hit of slightly more than $19 million and lose more than $21 million. Naturally, the advantage of a trade for Green Bay would be the ability to get compensation in the form of a draft pick.
That is, assuming any team wants to trade for him at all. As previously noted, throughout the last three seasons, Bakhtiari has only appeared in 13 games. Teams that would part with any significant draft selections for a player with his injury history are few, if any.
Unless the Packers want to pay more for a top choice, as the staff at Bleacher Report advises.
The Green Bay Packers want to trade picks and David Bakhtiari to the New York Jets in order to reunite with Aaron Rodgers.
As per the Bleacher Report staff’s post detailing every NFL team’s requirements for the offseason, it is believed that Brian Gutekunst—who is renowned for his frugal use of draft picks—would take into account the following trade proposal:
“Hypothetical Trade We’d Love to See: OT David Bakhtiari for Jets’ 2024 first-round selection (10th overall), 2024 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, and 2025 second-round pick
Wouldn’t it be entertaining if the Packers acquired the Jets’ 2024 second-round selection in exchange? Although Green Bay wouldn’t crack the top 10 with that alone, extra selections and Rodgers’ previous preferred tackle would help.
That translates to four draft selections and Bakhtiari being selected with the tenth overall choice in this year’s draft. In support of the plan, they claim that Green Bay may select a fantastic left tackle with that high first round selection in order to keep Love safe for the foreseeable future.
However, this plan has a flaw: Gutekunst would never implement it.
Why This Trade Offer Would Never Be Accepted by the Green Bay Packers
To begin with, Gutekunst will not part with two of his top 100 selections. The Packers are still in the midst of a huge youth movement even though they have completely rebuilt their roster in only one season. They require as many skilled and young players as they can find.
Secondly, in the first round Gutekunst does not choose attacking players. History indicates that the general manager of the Packers is more likely to select a defensive player than an offensive tackle, even if he were to get a top-10 choice. Love in 2020 was the only offensive player he ever selected in the first round.
Third, there is an incredibly deep tackle class this year. One that Green Bay can locate in the
middle rounds who can go on to play for years at a high level (Bakhtiari, for instance, was selected in the fourth round).
Lastly, Zach Tom, a right tackle, and Rasheed Walker, a left tackle, were a formidable combo in 2023. Although Green Bay needs offensive line depth coming into the draft, they don’t need a starter at either tackle position.
Is Bakhtiari going to wind up in New York? That is most likely where he will end up if he is cut or moved. But the Packers aren’t going to back him with three choices.
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Author, journalist, and writer of important sports-related pieces is Robin M. Adams. In addition, Robin is a co-owner of Wisconsin Sports Heroics, a website dedicated to Wisconsin sports news. He writes on all Wisconsin sports, but focuses mostly on the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Green Bay Packers.
