The Green Bay Packers are anticipated to split ways with their greatest offensive assistant for Jordan Love in the 2024 summer, according to a story that surfaced on Sunday morning. The Packers may soon be negotiating to give their All-Pro veteran to Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets as a gift.
In Love’s first season as the starting quarterback, the Packers offense got off to a poor start but picked up steam. Love’s offensive line suffered serious injuries during the season, which contributed significantly to his success. The most significant injury on the offensive line included star left tackle David Bakhtiari.
In 2023, Bakhtiari participated in just one game. He was placed on injured reserve for the whole of the season after sustaining a knee injury in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Since sustaining an ACL injury in 2020, Bakhtiari’s performance on the Packers’ active roster has been inconsistent.
But Bakhtiari is the Packers’ best offensive player on the field every time he takes the field. Bakhtiari, the offensive lineman for the Packers with the best mark, had an 89.9 pass-blocking grade against the Bears, according to Pro Football Focus. Bakhtiari’s successor, Rasheed Walker, would end up with a 66.4 overall play grade at the end of the season.
Sadly for the Packers, Bakhtiari’s inconsistent play right now makes the contract unworthwhile. The Packers are anticipated to part ways with Bakhtiari “soon” in order to save $21 million, according to Nick Spano of uStadium:
The 2013 fourth-round selection is anticipated to be made public in the upcoming weeks.
After suffering a knee injury during a late-season practice in 2020, Bakhtiari had an amazing career for the Pack, winning three Second-Team All-Pro awards (2016, 2017, 2019), two First-Team All-Pro awards (2018, 2020), and three Pro Bowl selections (2016, 2019, 2020). However, since then, the All-Pro has missed forty-five games due to injury.
Since then, the same knee has required five surgeries due to the injury. Last season, he played in just one game. The release, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, is a “matter a formality.” Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press Gazette concurred. The 11-year veteran can be cut by the Packers to save around $21 million.
According to Spano, there’s a strong chance Bakhtiari will wind up with the offensive tackle-hungry Jets in 2024. So does Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. However, he is unsure if the Packers will try to acquire some draft capital with a trade or release Bakhtiari:
“The Packers will definitely trade or release Bakhtiari, and that’s not a joke—even though he might still be among the best when healthy, as he demonstrated on a short Sunday against the Chicago Bears in September. Perhaps the New York Jets will pay a late-round pick to reunite Bakhtiari with his old golf cart buddy Aaron Rodgers.”
In 2024, Jordan Love will lose his best player.
In the 2023 season, Love made good improvement, requiring Bakhtiari’s protection for just one game. But Bakhtiari’s absence became apparent throughout the postseason. Walker performed admirably in pass protection against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round. However, he had trouble blocking runs against the Cowboys and 49ers in San Francisco.
In the Divisional Round defeat to the 49ers, Walker allowed three pressures, two hurries, and one hit against their excellent defensive line. He was penalized as well. If Bakhtiari had been healthy against the 49ers, he would have clearly been a difference-maker for the Packers over Walker.
However, Bakhtiari’s health cannot be a gamble for the Packers in the upcoming campaign. Even if it means putting their best player on the field or sidelines, they must have consistency at left tackle.