Packers Predicted to Part Ways With 5-Time All-Pro Owed $40.5 Million

Getty Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst (left) speaks with head coach Matt LaFleur (right) during an OTA practice session in May 2023.

The Green Bay Packers have spent the last two offseason saying hard goodbyes to long-time greats, and the spring of 2024 is shaping up to be more of the same.

Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus recently positioned the question of what to do with David Bakhtiari and his sizable contract this offseason as among the most pressing decisions facing Green Bay’s front office, focusing specifically on whether the team will attempt to trade its five-time All-Pro left tackle.

“Bakhtiari is one of the highest-paid offensive tackles in the NFL but has played just 13 games over the last three seasons. He has a cap number of $40.5 million in 2024, and there is a belief that he might want out,” Mosher wrote on December 15. “There is no way Bakhtiari can return at that number, so something will need to happen regarding the former All-Pro offensive tackle. David Bakhtiari has allowed just one sack since the start of the 2020 season.”

Packers Will Have Difficulty Finding Trade Partner for David Bakhtiari

GettyLeft tackle David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers.

Bakhtiari’s impressive statistic of surrendering just one sack in four seasons is significantly diminished by the fact that he’s played only 25 of a possible 67 games over that stretch.

The figure remains impressive even despite Bakhtiari’s chronic knee issues, as it indicates the type of player the 32-year-old is capable of being if he can find a way to finally stay on the field. However, the combination of his injury issues and his onerous contract render the notion of Green Bay trading him far-fetched at best.

Bakhtiari will enter the final season of a four-year, $92 million contract in 2024, which carries the aforementioned cap number of $40.5 million due to a recent restructure orchestrated by the Packers to free up $7.5 million in salary cap space for this season.

Any team trading for Bakhtiari would have to assume a huge bill without any guarantee the left tackle will play a meaningful number of snaps next season, or that he will be the same All-Pro player he was even if he can get on the field regularly.

As such, the Packers are far more likely to cut the former star, saving $21.5 million in the process. At that point, Bakhtiari would be free to sign with whichever team he chooses and interest in a reasonably-priced flier on the decorated offensive lineman would presumably spike around the NFL.

David Bakhtiari, Aaron Rodgers Reunion With Jets May Be on Horizon

GettyOffensive tackle David Bakhtiari (left) of the Green Bay Packers and his former teammate quarterback Aaron Rodgers celebrate a touchdown during an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in November 2020.

If Bakhtiari hits the open market, the left tackle-needy New York Jets are a realistic option — particularly because his good friend and former quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to start the 2024 season under center for that organization.

Green Bay dealt Rodgers to the Jets ahead of the 2023 campaign and he took a handful of former Packers with him, including wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. It would make sense for Bakhtiari to join up as well considering all his ties to the Jets’ current roster and that team’s need for help up front.

New York may also prove a viable Super Bowl contender next season if healthy, as the defense has been stout for two seasons and running back Breece Hall appears back to his rookie form after tearing his ACL in 2022.