The Green Bay Packers are smack dab in the middle of a youth movement and that likely means “out with the old” when it comes to roster spots. Actually, a better way to look it would be “out with SOME of the old,” free up roster spots and free some cap money to acquire perfect-fit free agents.
New starting quarterback Jordan Love rose to the occasion last season, performing increasingly well as the campaign wore on, showing that he could, indeed, be a fitting replacement for the outgoing future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
Part of that success was due to a better-than-expected offensive line that helped Love stay protected and safe to execute.
Not part of that O-line success, however, was veteran offensive tackle David Bakhtiari.
The 11-year veteran and five-time All-Pro was injured in the season opener against the Chicago Bears in September of 2023 and underwent yet another knee surgery to repair the damage– his fifth since tearing his ACL on Dec. 31, 2020– and missed the rest of the season. It would be the second time in three years that he’d only log one game played in the season.
Turning 33 in late September, the one-time Aaron Rodgers main man is aiming to be healed by training camp this summer, when he enters the final season of his four-year, $92 million contract, and hoping to be 100% field ready shortly thereafter. Savvy football observes are doubtful of that.
Many feel that the Packers will simply release him and bring in another tackle if they feel he can’t get himself ready to be a full-time player. There are some thoughts floating around, however, that he could be used as possible trade bait for at least one team– the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets.
The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department feels that Bakhtiari could be packaged up in a deal attractive to the Jets that would benefit both teams.
The proposed trade would see the Packers send over Bakhtiari, this year’s 2024 first-round pick (24th overall), their second-round pick, their third-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick for the Jets’ first-round pick (10th overall) in this year’s draft.
The proposal is fantastical for several reasons and it’s doubtful that either team would buy into it without some significant tweaking. But something like this does spotlight the possibility that the Jets could consider bringing Bakhtiari aboard to appease their star quarterback, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon just four snaps into the season opener against the Buffalo Bills and was forced to sit out the season.
This past April, Aaron Rodgers was dealt to the Jets, along with the Packers’ 2023 first-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick in exchange for New York’s 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick. It was a deal that had been rumored for a long while and pretty much forced into existence by Rodgers’ insistence that he wanted to play for the Jets and only the Jets.
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Green Bay Packers Wild Trade Would Reunite Aaron Rodgers With Friend and Old Teammate
Paul MagnoBy Paul MagnoFebruary 1, 2024No Comments4 Mins Read
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Robert Saleh
Dec 24, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on the field after the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The Green Bay Packers are smack dab in the middle of a youth movement and that likely means “out with the old” when it comes to roster spots. Actually, a better way to look it would be “out with SOME of the old,” free up roster spots and free some cap money to acquire perfect-fit free agents.
New starting quarterback Jordan Love rose to the occasion last season, performing increasingly well as the campaign wore on, showing that he could, indeed, be a fitting replacement for the outgoing future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
Part of that success was due to a better-than-expected offensive line that helped Love stay protected and safe to execute.
Not part of that O-line success, however, was veteran offensive tackle David Bakhtiari.
Ezoic
No Longer A Part Of The Packers’ Plan?
The 11-year veteran and five-time All-Pro was injured in the season opener against the Chicago Bears in September of 2023 and underwent yet another knee surgery to repair the damage– his fifth since tearing his ACL on Dec. 31, 2020– and missed the rest of the season. It would be the second time in three years that he’d only log one game played in the season.
Ezoic
Turning 33 in late September, the one-time Aaron Rodgers main man is aiming to be healed by training camp this summer, when he enters the final season of his four-year, $92 million contract, and hoping to be 100% field ready shortly thereafter. Savvy football observes are doubtful of that.
Trade Bait For Just One Team
Many feel that the Packers will simply release him and bring in another tackle if they feel he can’t get himself ready to be a full-time player. There are some thoughts floating around, however, that he could be used as possible trade bait for at least one team– the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets.
The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department feels that Bakhtiari could be packaged up in a deal attractive to the Jets that would benefit both teams.
The proposed trade would see the Packers send over Bakhtiari, this year’s 2024 first-round pick (24th overall), their second-round pick, their third-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick for the Jets’ first-round pick (10th overall) in this year’s draft.
Ezoic
The proposal is fantastical for several reasons and it’s doubtful that either team would buy into it without some significant tweaking. But something like this does spotlight the possibility that the Jets could consider bringing Bakhtiari aboard to appease their star quarterback, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon just four snaps into the season opener against the Buffalo Bills and was forced to sit out the season.
This past April, Aaron Rodgers was dealt to the Jets, along with the Packers’ 2023 first-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick in exchange for New York’s 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick. It was a deal that had been rumored for a long while and pretty much forced into existence by Rodgers’ insistence that he wanted to play for the Jets and only the Jets.
Ezoic
Friends Reunited?
At the time, Rodgers’ friend and field partner was emotional to see the quarterback leave Green Bay.
“The chapter is over on this one, but this friendship is a lifetime,” Bakhtiari write via social media, when the Packers-Jets trade became official. “You’ve been so instrumental in my life and I just wanna say thank you. And I love you brother.”
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” he would add.
Could there be a Rodgers-Bakhtari reunion in the works? Could such a deal even be possible? Maybe the Jets wouldn’t even need to make a deal to make that happen. The veteran tackle could be cut by the Packers and be right there for the taking. Time will tell.
