David Bakhtiari Breaks Silence on ‘Awkwardness’ With Packers

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari has learned a hard lesson over the past two weeks.

The five-time All-Pro left tackle appeared on Barstool Sports’ Bussin’ With The Boys podcast on April 11 and spoke openly about the pending and polarizing trade of his quarterback and friend Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. Bakhtiari also discussed the Packers organization, using terms like “they” while addressing Green Bay’s future, sparking speculation that he may no longer be a part of that future by as early as next season.

Bakhtiari made another media appearance on the OpenMike podcast with Mike Silver on Saturday to clear up his choice of words and attempt to bring silence to debates initiated by those in the media he says have misinterpreted his comments.

“Yeah, I think there’s been a little bit of awkwardness and I think that just stems from the lack of understanding and the fact that I have to spell it out. I guess this is the platform to do it,” Bakhtiari said.

“They is the front office. I am not the front office. Like I said before, when I act rationally and I take my emotions out and look from a business standpoint, I’m thinking from a third person point of view. So it’s almost annoying the fact that I have to explain that,” Bakhtiari continued. “By responding to any of this it creates credibility and makes it more real. This is just people going off on a tangent and nitpicking words. For what?”

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David Bakhtiari Has “No Idea” if Packers Will be Good This Season

Bakhtiari also spoke on Bussin’ With The Boys to the Packers’ ongoing rebuild and how the team’s expected struggles can provide Green Bay leverage in negotiations with the Jets over Rodgers.

“The Packers are rebuilding, whether you think so or not. Could they be good? I don’t know. Could they be bad? Probably, if you’re betting, more people think they’re going to be bad than good, right?” Bakhtiari said. “So then they’re gonna be like, ‘We’re going to suck anyways, we want what we want and we’re not going to bend [to] anyone, so we’ll just eat [Rodgers’ salary].'”

Bakhtiari on Saturday attempted to clarify those remarks as well.

“We’re moving on from a Hall of Fame quarterback. Literally today I talked to Jordan [Love] about this. I’m like, ‘The Packers rebuilt from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.’ What are we going to say? It’s not a rebuild? That is what that is,” Bakhtiari explained. “And that’s totally fine. I’m not saying we’re going to be bad. I’m not saying we’re going to be good. I don’t know and that’s the beauty. No one really knows until we start the season. … I’m on the team and I have no idea.”

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David Bakhtiari’s Tenure With Packers Could End Soon

When uninjured, Bakhtiari has been a fixture of the Packers and their organizational success over the past decade. However, his time in Green Bay may soon be coming to an end.

Bakhtiari is one of the highest-paid left tackles in football, playing on a four-year deal worth $92 million that keeps him under contract with the team through the 2024 season. But he will also play next year at the age of 32 and has a significant injury history.

The team has already restructured the left tackle’s contract this offseason to bring his salary cap number down in 2023. There has been speculation the Packers will cut Bakhtiari a year from now, while Bakhtiari has openly discussed retirement in the near future.