Green Bay Packers GM expects key player to return in 2023
A key player is expected to return to the Green Bay Packers in 2023
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst met with reporters on Tuesday morning at the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis and he confirmed that he expects a key player to return in 2023.
And no, he wasn't talking about Aaron Rodgers. That decision is still very much up in the air (and it sounds like Green Bay is keeping all options on the table).
Gutekunst told reporters that the Packers are working with offensive lineman David Bakhtiari on restructuring his contract. Green Bay expects the left tackle to return in 2023.
Bakhtiari is scheduled to make $17.5 million in 2023 with a $23.1 million cap hit.
The three-time Pro Bowler hasn't played a full season since 2019 due to injuries. This past season, Bakhtiari played in 11 out of 17 games (he missed one game due to an emergency appendectomy, which is obviously a freak thing).
When Bakhtiari is on the field, he's one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. But at this point, it's almost a weekly guessing game as to whether or not he's going to play each Sunday.
Still, Bakhtiari is a key presence in Green Bay's locker room and it's clear they're not ready to move on from the former Colorado standout just yet.
Featured image via Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK
