The Green Bay Packers are playing without their 18-year franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The transition from the A-Rod era has seen the team sitting in the second spot of the NFC North with a 2-2 mark. While Green Bay is still navigating ways to make this transition successful, they witnessed another major setback following the recent injury update of David Bakhtiari.
After getting selected by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Bakhtiari spent his entire youth with the franchise. The left tackle has remained one of the greatest weapons of Green Bay, albeit his injury record in the last few seasons has already become a huge headache for them.
Packers’ David Bakhtiari to miss entire season due to knee surgery blow
Bakhtiari played in the week 1 match against the Chicago Bears on Sep. 10 and showcased quite a satisfactory performance before getting out of the field mid-way as his knee flared up in response to 55 snaps.
The Colorado native was absent in the Packers’ Week 2 and Week 3 games against the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. The team ultimately decided to put him on injured reserve, and now, the veteran himself provided an update about the situation saying he would be missing all of the remaining games of the season.
“I hate it. I know the club hates it. It’s just not a great situation for anyone to deal with. The human side of it, it took a lot of stress, a lot of time on my end, but the clarity is to know we finally know what the problem is, and we can address the problem.”
The three-time Pro Bowler said his upcoming surgery would address the lateral femoral condyle cartilage tear he sustained during his initial injury back in 2020. He said the issue was not addressed back then as it was not projected to be problematic going forward. Flashback to 2020, the tackle tore his ACL in practice before getting ruled out for the entire season.
The Packers star appeared in just one game in 2021 while playing 11 out of 18 games for Green in 2022. Now, he said his goal is to return in 2024, and Second-year tackle Rasheed Walker would take over his void in the meantime.
How much will Packers’ David Bakhtiari earn in the 2023-24 NFL?
Bakhtiari’s absence this season also made his contract situation a bit complicated as he is under contract for one more season, with an amount of $21.5 million for this season. Back in 2020, the Packers signed him to a four-year extension worth $105.5 million including a $30 million signing bonus, and $30-plus million in roster bonuses over the course of the next 28 months.
Amid his past injury records, Green Bay can make up their mind to wipe the entire $21.5 from their 2024 salary cap if they release him. However, the 2013 fourth-round pick would still cost them more than $19 million on their cap in dead money, and If he remains in the squad at his current rate, the sum would be $40.5 million.
The 32-year-old would be in danger of getting released after rehabbing, albeit he can also decide to accept a pay cut to make his tenure longer with the team. However, his deal only includes an offseason workout bonus of $700,000, and hence, any potential move is not imminent.
What’s your take on this? Do you think that the Packers should release Bakhtiari? Tell us in the comments.
