The Green Bay Packers were a team that a lot of people were keeping an eye on heading into the 2023 season. The thing people were most interested in seeing was whether Jordan Love would be able to successfully replace Aaron Rodgers in the starting lineup or not.
A big part of Love finding success in 2023 will be the performance of the offensive line in front of him. If they can consistently keep a clean pocket, Love will be able to find success. That is exactly what they did in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, as they kept him protected throughout the afternoon.
Health permitting, the Packers do have one of the best offensive line units in the NFL. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are an elite left side to rely on. Center Josh Myers can get the job done but needs to find more consistency. Jon Runyan Jr. and Zach Tom hold down the right side, but Tom has the versatility to fill in wherever needed.
Out of that group, Bakhtiari is the biggest X-Factor. His career has been derailed by knee injuries the last few seasons, but when he is on his game, he is one of the best left tackles in the NFL.
The Packers are trying a new practice schedule with him, hoping it keeps him fresh for the season. He isn’t practicing much, something he has admitted he doesn’t like, but it is all in an effort to limit his reps. As the oldest player on the roster, it makes sense for Green Bay to want to try something to ensure that he is in the lineup on Sundays.
Alas, he is someone who could also be traded, in the opinion of Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. On his NFL trade block big board, Bakhtiari received an honorable mention, just missing out on the top 10.
While Knox mentioned Bakhtiari, don’t expect a trade centered around the veteran to occur any time soon. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst shut down trade rumors involving him about a month ago when his name popped up as a potential trade target for the New York Jets.
Something will eventually have to be done about his contract, as Bakhtiari has a cap hit just north of $40 million in 2024. That will either get amended with a contract extension or the Packers will release Bakhtiari, saving about $21 million with such a move.
