Getty Green Bay Packers LT David Bakhtiari claps hands with former QB Aaron Rodgers in 2020.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers received a cryptic message from a close friend and former teammate on May 31.
“This could be us @AaronRodgers12,” Green Bay Packers long-time left tackle David Bakhtiari voiced in a vague tweet, adding: “But you playin.”
This could be us @AaronRodgers12. But you playin.
The post included a side-by-side video clip of Bakhtiari catching a pass on the sidelines of Packers OTAs, along with a still of Rodgers surveying the field at Jets OTAs. Although the veteran blocker’s exact intentions for this tweet were unclear, the assumption from most was that it was an attempt at humor, rather than anything contemptuous.
Either way, it blew up in less than 24 hours with 10.6K likes and over 500 retweets and quotes by 4 p.m. EST on June 1.
Bakhtiari is still believed to be one of Rodgers’ closest friends away from the game. Not only did the two attend this year’s Kentucky Derby together in early May, but the veteran passer also referred to him as his “brother” who “makes me laugh every single day of my life” during a birthday appreciation post from September of 2022.
Packers’ David Bakhtiari Calls It ‘Disrespectful’ to Say GB Isn’t Rebuilding After Aaron Rodgers Trade
The Packers organization has stressed that they are not rebuilding in 2023, but Bakhtiari tried to keep it real during a recent interview at Packers OTAs.
“How I look at is, it’s disrespectful to say you’re not rebuilding off a Hall of Fame quarterback,” Bakhtiari told reporters including ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “It was disrespectful to say you weren’t rebuilding off of Brett Favre when you moved to Aaron [too].”
“No one knew Aaron and what he was going to be, so I’m not going to sit here and like pull back those words,” he went on. “When you look at how it’s been building, how we were chasing after it and the cap — there was a bunch of situations that can definitely allude to [a rebuild] — we have a young team.”
Having said that, Bakhtiari did make it clear that rebuilding doesn’t necessarily mean losing.
“I think the [Seattle] Seahawks rebuild off of Russell [Wilson], look at how that turned out,” Bakhtiari said referring to Seattle’s playoff appearance last season. “I can always give you the other side of the coin — I don’t know it off the top of my head — but that’s how I look at and it’s a simple way to put it. We can slice it, cut it, make it look like who wants to be the hero or the villain on that word, but that’s really what I mean.”
Jets Fans Continue to Urge Packers’ David Bakhtiari to Join Aaron Rodgers in NYC
Ever since Rodgers became a real possibility, a contingent of Jets fans attempted to lure Bakhtiari over to NYC with him. That trend continued after the blindside blocker’s latest tweet.
“Wanna join the jets?” One fan asked in the comments. Another told Bakhtiari to “come [through].”
Finally, one Jets supporter wrote: “Just let us have this David. We wanted you too for the record.”
Packers fans were especially riled up by Bakhtiari’s tweet and recent remarks, urging him to support his new quarterback and “let it go” — regarding Rodgers’ departure.
With Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton set to return and battle for the left tackle role in 2023, there’s really no place on the Jets roster for Bakhtiari. Instead, expect the sturdy pass protector to block for Jordan Love as an integral piece of the Packers offense next season.