The Green Bay Packers are preparing for a retooling period in the post-Aaron Rodgers era, and that will mean some tough decisions for general manager Brian Gutekunst involving established veterans.
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, the Packers could go in a number of directions with the 15th overall pick. Dane Brugler with The Athletic had the Packers taking offensive lineman Peter Skoronski in the first round of his latest mock draft, giving them another versatile chess piece on the offensive line.
Brugler’s colleague Matt Schneidman reacted to the selection, suggesting that a premium pick on a lineman could mean a potential successor to five-time All-Pro David Bakhtiari.
“Keeping first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love upright and healthy is paramount, after all,” Schneidman said. “And perhaps Skoronski is Bakhtiari’s successor at left tackle, where he started 33 games at Northwestern. Cutting Bakhtiari after this coming season, when he’ll be 32, would free up $21.5 million in salary cap space for the Packers.”
A lineman might not be the most exciting first-round pick, but if the Packers are serious about retooling the roster, a new left tackle might be a legitimate long-term play to kick off the Jordan Love era in Green Bay.
David Bakhtiari’s Days May Be Numbered
Although he’s been one of the best left tackles in football during his 10-year NFL career, the clock is ticking for Bakhtiari, both with the Packers and his playing career.
Bakhtiari played at a high level when on the field in 2022, but the team has continued to monitor his knee which has been an issue for him since his torn ACL at the end of the 2020 season. That, along with an emergency appendectomy, kept Bakhtiari from consistently seeing the field last year.
Injury issues have plagued Bakhtiari since signing his $92 million contract extension back in 2020. The 31-year-old tackle has even admitted that with his age and injury history that he’s nearing the end of his playing career and considering retirement.
If that’s the case, then the Packers may want to look for his replacement sooner instead of later. The team could save $21 million in cap space while taking a $19 million dead cap hit by cutting Bakhtiari after this season, but only if the Packers are confident in finding a replacement left tackle.
Regardless, there’s a very real chance that 2023 will be Bakhtiari’s last season in Green Bay.
Latest on Aaron Rodgers
It has been more than a month since Aaron Rodgers announced that he intends to play for the New York Jets in 2023. However, with a trade still not finalized and the 2023 NFL Draft approaching, rumors and speculation are starting to run wild.
The Packers asking price for Rodgers, as reported by Charles Robinson with Yahoo! Sports, is a second-round pick in 2023 and a first-round pick in 2024. However, Robinson shared that Jets owner Woody Johnson got cold feet on a trade when Rodgers shared that he was leaning towards retirement prior to his darkness retreat.
Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that both sides are dug in, and that it’s possible a trade could wait until after this year’s draft to be finalized. If that’s the case, then the Packers may not have the assets they were hoping for to give Love some additional help in his first year as the starting quarterback.
Still, all signs are still pointing towards Rodgers playing for the Jets in 2023, even if it’s unclear when a trade will get done.
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Packers Projected to Release $92 Million All-Pro in 2024