One of the biggest questions surrounding the Green Bay Packers this offseason is what they will do with left tackle David Bakhtiari. The three-time Pro Bowler is set to carry a $40 million cap hit into the 2024 NFL season. The Packers, however, can save $21 million by cutting him. Given the fact that he has only been able to play in 13 games over the past three seasons, many believe that this would be the right thing for the team to do.
However, there is an argument to be made that, when healthy, Bakhtiari is still the best offensive lineman the team has. The multiple procedures he had last season to fix the new injury he suffered is supposed to make him capable of playing a full season, or as close to a full season as he can.
Obviously, a healthy Bakhtiari is indeed one of the best linemen in the whole NFL let alone the Packers’ roster. That being said, even if he had not gotten hurt and suffered other injuries on top of the initial ACL tear, the Packers would not be planning on taking a near $40 million cap hit this season. That is to say, even if Bakhtiari had played a full season in each of the last two year, this conversation would still be happening.
Due to the injury, though, the answer to the question becomes more complicated. Will Green Bay simply release Bakhtiari, or will they work out some sort of contract restructure/extension to keep him while saving money at the same time?
