Packers HC says he's 'very concerned' with David Bakhtiari's situation
It's been more than 1,000 days since Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari tore his ACL. Three years after the fact and he's still not able to play with any regularity. After being on the field in Week 1 versus the Chicago Bears, swelling reappeared, and he needed to miss games. After two weeks […]
It's been more than 1,000 days since Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari tore his ACL. Three years after the fact and he's still not able to play with any regularity. After being on the field in Week 1 versus the Chicago Bears, swelling reappeared, and he needed to miss games. After two weeks out of the lineup, Bakhtiari was placed on injured reserve, went through one surgery, is expected to go through another later on, and might miss the rest of the season.
If this happens, Bakhtiari will have missed 41 games, 38 of which because of knee issues. When asked about Bakhtiari's situation on the Rich Eisen Show, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur admitted he's concerned about the player's health moving forward and what that means for the team.
"This is year 3 of this now, so obviously very concerned," LaFleur said. "When you saw it, when he played against Chicago Week 1, I mean, he was playing at an elite level with not a lot of practice. That just kind of speaks to the type of player that he is, and he knows how to get his body and mind prepared to go out there and compete at a high level. So anytime you don't have a Pro Bowler like him in the lineup, it is a concern."
In his only game this season, David Bakhtiari had a 78.3 PFF grade, which included an elite 89.9 pass blocking grade. He's been replaced by second-year Rasheed Walker, a former seventh-round pick. He's a serviceable player, but the talent level discrepancy is significant. In his first three games as a starter, Walker has had a 67.7 PFF grade, and a 76.4 pass blocking grade. Those are pretty good numbers for a first-year starter, especially considering his background, but it's undeniable how important Bakhtiari is for the unit.
Uncertain future
David Bakhtiari reportedly doesn't have plans to retire. But that doesn't mean he will play another down for the Packers beyond this year. The cap situation is complicated, and if he doesn't pass a physical between now and the start of training camp next year, it may become worse.
But right now, Bakhtiari is slated to make $21.4 million next year. Worse than that, the Packers have restructured his deal multiple times since his 2020 extension to open up cap space, so the cap hit in 2024 will be $40.465 million. If the left tackle is traded or released, the dead money would still be $19.065 million.
At this point and with his regular injury issues, it's hard to project that the Packers or any other team will be willing to pay him that much money. The parties can find a middle-ground with a short-term, incentive-heavy new contract, but everything depends on how Bakhtiari's knee will be, what other moves the Packers can make to be safer at the position, and how much money the player will be willing to give up in any new agreement.
Bakhtiari is a fantastic player and could still be extremely helpful for Jordan Love and the other young pieces of the Packers offense. But for that to happen, Green Bay needs to have confidence that the left tackle will be available more often than not, and this has been hard to predict.
Packers need to keep prepping for life without David Bakhtiari
Bakhtiari is the healthiest he’s been in years, but the Packers still need to continue their cautious approach with the two-time All-Pro.
