Per a report Sunday morning, the Green Bay Packers are anticipated to part ways with their best helper for Jordan Love’s offense in the 2024 offseason. The Packers ought to be making a deal soon to gift-wrap their All-Pro veteran and ship him off to Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.The Packers offense began gradual however advanced properly in Love’s first season as the starter. Much of Love’s success got here in a season where his offensive line dealt with full-size injuries. Star left tackle David Bakhtiari was once the largest harm on the offensive line.
Bakhtiari played one recreation in the 2023 season. He suffered a knee damage in opposition to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and used to be positioned on injured reserve for the rest of the year. Bakhtiari has been hit and omit on the Packers’ active roster seeing that he suffered an ACL damage in 2020.However, when Bakhtiari plays, he’s persistently the Packers’ great offensive player on the field. Per Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari was once the Packer’s highest-graded offensive lineman and completed with an 89.9 pass-blocking grade towards the Bears. Rasheed Walker, Bakhtiari’s replacement, would end the season incomes a 66.4 grade for his basic play.
Green Bay Packers anticipated to lose All-Pro LT.
Unfortunately for the Packers, Bakhtiari’s sporadic play isn’t really worth the contract at this point. Per Nick Spano with uStadium, the Packers are expected to reduce Bakhtiari “soon” in order to retailer $21 million:“The 2013 4th-round pick is expected to be released in the coming weeks…Bakhtiari had an wonderful profession for the Pack, collecting two First-Team All-Pro’s (2018, 2020), 3 Second-Team All-Pro’s (2016, 2017, 2019) and 3 Pro Bowl’s (2016, 2019, 2020) however has neglected forty five video games on the grounds that a knee harm sustained in a late-season practice in 2020 sidetracked the All-Pro’s career.
That harm has when you consider that led to five surgical procedures on the same knee. He was on the subject for one sport final season. The launch is said to be a “matter a formality” according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman The same was once echoed by way of Green Bay Press Gazette’s Ryan Wood. The Packers can shop almost $21MM by way of cutting the 11-year veteran.
The New York Jets should have David Bakhtiari in 2024
Spano thinks there is a top likelihood Bakhtiari will give up up with the offensive tackle-needy Jets for the 2024 season. Matt Schneidman with The Athletic thinks so, too. But he’s not positive if the Packers will launch Bakhtiari or strive and get some draft capital by way of a trade:
“The Packers will assuredly change or launch
Bakhtiari — perhaps the New York Jetsfork over a late-round select to reunite Bakhtiari with his ancient golf cart buddy Aaron Rodgers, and that’s not a funny story — regardless of the opportunity that he’s nevertheless elite when healthy, as he showed for a short Sunday towards the Chicago Bears in September.”
Jordan Love will lose his nice participant in 2024
Love advanced properly in the 2023 season, solely having Bakhtiari protect him for one game. However, Bakhtiari’s absence confirmed up in the playoffs. In the Wild Card round, Walker did properly in pass protection in opposition to the Dallas Cowboys. But his run blockading was a trouble towards the Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.Walker gave up three pressures, two hurries, and one hit against the 49ers’ proficient protecting line in the Divisional Round loss. He additionally had a penalty. Bakhtiari would have made a clear distinction over Walker for the Packers if he have been wholesome against the 49ers.
But the Packers can’t find the money for to gamble on Bakhtiari’s health next season. They need reliability at the left address position, even if that capability downgrading from their quality participant on the field/sidelines.
