David Bakhtiari is adamant that he’s not yet done with the game of football because he wants to walk away from the game on his terms.
“When I want to look back, do I want to look at the guy who got injured and was like ah, that’s good enough?” said Bakhtiari a few months ago. “If that’s not me, then the future, older me is gonna be pissed at the younger me like, ‘You f—ing quitter.”
The Green Bay Packers have a huge decision about the three-time Pro Bowler. If the team decides to keep him on March 13 – the start of the new league year – they would have to count his full salary cap charge of roughly $40 million for 2024 on their books.
Meanwhile, if they do cut Bakhtiari before March 13, the Green Bay Packers would save $21.5 million in cap space, although they will still have to count around $20 million in dead money on their cap if they do trade or release him.
David Bakhtiari’s injury was worse than expected
Although Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst recently said that they have yet to make a final decision, it feels like David Bakhtiari’s days are numbered.
That is because they cannot afford to keep him in their books since he has been injury-prone in the last few years. Since he tore his ACL in 2020, Bakhtiari has undergone up to five surgeries, only having played a total of 13 games since then. He played in only the season opener last season.
David Bakhtiari signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension in November 2020, six weeks before his first ACL tear. The Green Bay Packers managed to restructure that contract each of the past two summers.
Potential candidates to replace David Bakhtiari
The Green Bay Packers could look at Rasheed Walker as the in-house replacement for David Bakhtiari in the long run. Last season, the 24-year-old managed to play 15 of 17 regular-season games.
According to PFF, Walker is ranked inside the Top 10 in pass-blocking grade in 2023 among OTs drafted since 2018 with at least 400 pass-blocking snaps.
Moreover, the Green Bay Packers could also choose to further strengthen their o-line in the upcoming NFL Draft, with the likes of BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia or Washington’s Troy Fautanu as possible options to protect Jordan Love.