Green Bay Packers: David Bakhtiari Once Again Named in Potential Trade to Reunite with Aaron Rodgers on New York Jets
One of the biggest questions that the Green Bay Packers have this offseason surrounds All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari. If Bakhtiari had been healthy this year, the answer would be obvious: he would be back for the final year of his contract. The problem, of course, is that he has not been healthy for the better part of the past three seasons.
Since tearing his ACL on December 31, 2020, Bakhtiari has appeared in just 13 games for the Packers. While many fans have been negatively vocal in regards to his recovery, the more logical person realizes that what has transpired since his initial injury is not his fault.
After having surgery to repair his ACL, Bakhtiari require numerous procedures to drain fluid from the knee. This resulted in a delayed recovery. When Bakhtiari hurt his knee in Week One of the 2023 season, it required several more surgeries. Fortunately for the Packers, 2022 seventh round pick Rasheed Walker played well at left tackle for the rest of the season.
In his end of the year press conference, general manager Brian Gutekunst was non-committal in regards to whether or not Bakhtiari would be back next season. From the sound of things, it seems like he has a long way to go yet in his recovery process. This makes the Packers’ decision on what to do with him extremely complicated.
The Green Bay Packers Have Had a Generational Talent in David Bakhtiari
The fact of the matter is that, when Bakhtiari is healthy, he is among the best offensive tackles in the NFL. Had he not gotten hurt, the talk around him right now would be about a possible extension rather than a potential parting of ways.
From 2016-2022, Bakhtiari was either a First or Second Team All-Pro player and made three Pro Bowls. Those accolades would only have increased had he never suffered that freak injury in a non-contact drill. Indeed, many considered him a future Hall of Famer before the injury.
Rumors of the Green Bay Packers Trading David Bakhtiari to the New York Jets Have Swirled for Over a Year
The friendship between Bakhtiari and former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is well-known. In a recent article detailing how Rodgers [negatively] impacted the culture of the New York Jets organization, The Athletic‘s Diana Russini revealed that Rodgers had wanted the Jets to trade for his good buddy last season.
Of course, that did not happen. Still, almost every fan and analyst around the NFL knew that Rodgers wanted Bakhtiari to join him in New York. Even though he played in just one game this season, there have still been rumors and suggestions that would send Bakhtiari to New York.
One of these latest is a rather sensible proposal by Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report. In his latest article, he identifies and articulates perfectly the challenge in finding the ideal trade while also suggesting a logical return:
