Six days after heavily criticizing the NFL and team owners because of turf surfaces around the league, Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari didn’t play on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Initially, the plan for the Packers seemed to be easing Bakhtiari into practices after a catastrophic injury he suffered on December 31, 2020. But, at least theoretically, he would be able to play every Sunday. Bakhtiari sat out in the first game on turf, though.
Missing games almost three years after the injury is a concern, be it because of the surface or not — and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday he believes Bakhtiari wouldn’t have played if the game was on grass either.
After the loss, LaFleur didn’t want to talk about the reasons for the absence.
“No, we all know that Dave is dealing with this, so, no,” LaFleur stressed. “I’m not gonna get into that. We all know, this is two years now. So, I’m not gonna get into it. It’s probably gonna be like this from here on out.”
On Monday, LaFleur admitted Bakhtiari still has a knee issue.
“His knee is injured,” the coach said. “There’s swelling.”
If that’s the case, the Packers have a larger problem. Even though Bakhtiari is still a high-level player when he is on the field, it’s impossible to plan for games and invest so much money into a player if there’s no assurance he will be available.
The Packers need an alternative. It’s as simple as that. And this is not to shame or criticize Bakhtiari. He had to handle a pretty tough situation where a severe injury has forever altered his career. But Green Bay has to be sure their biggest investments are healthy enough to play consistently — and knowing that 16 NFL teams play on turf, if that’s a factor for the veteran left tackle.
What could they do with Bakhtiari?
I’ve been on both sides of the Bakhtiari discussion. The idea of trading a player who’s getting older with such a big salary might be appealing. And Green Bay would benefit from getting another high draft pick, considering the roster-building timeline. The salary cap space would also be relevant.
However, tackles tend to play well into their 30s, so Bakhtiari could still be effective for at least three, maybe four years. Moreover, it’s extremely important to have a reliable left tackle to protect first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love. There’s a good case to even extend Bakhtiari next offseason. The problem is that the latter point heavily depends on his health. If Bakhtiari won’t practice, that’s fine; he’s experienced and doesn’t need to. But if he will miss games too, it’s another discussion.
Right now, the Packers are limited in what they can do. Bakhtiari is making $17.5 million this year and will make $21.4 million next season. The numbers are fair (and even team-friendly) for a prime left tackle. But this considers a 17-game schedule. Can the Packers have that?
If Bakhtiari doesn’t play on turf for the remainder of the season, he will miss four more games — all of them in important moments of the season: Week 12 at Detroit, Week 14 at New York (vs. the Giants), Week 16 at Carolina, and Week 17 at Minnesota. Or he might play those games and miss others, depending on the swelling of his knee.
In case the Packers decide to deal Bakhtiari between now and the trade deadline, the salary cap savings wouldn’t be huge for this year, but the long-term impact is real. His base salary for 2023 is just $1.2 million, so the savings would be the proration of this number. The Packers would still have around $20 million in dead money this year because the team has restructured his deal multiple times over the last few years to open up cap space. There would still be $19 million in dead money for 2024. However, the team would also open $21.4 million in projected space.
If Green Bay waits out for the offseason, the situation gets dicier. A trade couldn’t happen before the new league year, so the Packers would be forced to enter the March date with his $40.5 million hit on the books. The number would presumably be much lower with an extension or a restructure. It will be the last year of Bakhtiari’s deal, and he would have to agree to add void years, something he hasn’t done over the last two years.
If the Packers can’t keep his salary on the books and don’t want to keep him long-term, the team could be forced to release him, as they did with Za’Darius Smith last year. That move would open up the same $21.4 million in space as a trade would.
Options
Another important factor is who will play at left tackle if and when Bakhtiari isn’t available. On Sunday, the Packers chose Rasheed Walker, last year’s seventh-rounder. After a solid training camp and preseason, the young player wasn’t very good, especially to start the game — later on, he settled in for pass-protection plays. Yosh Nijman is still an experienced short-term option, even though he’s not under contract beyond 2023.
For the long term, there are multiple scenarios. The first is to move Zach Tom from right tackle to the left side. He’s been a bright spot for the team and is inexpensive for at least two more years. However, that would open a hole on the right side anyway. Walker and Nijman would be the immediate options there.
The other alternative is to move Elgton Jenkins to tackle again. He played well for half a season in 2021, right after Bakhtiari’s initial injury, before Jenkins himself injured his knee. When Jenkins came back last year, he wasn’t as good at right tackle and moved back to left guard. His contract has incentives in case he plays at left tackle, so both parties know this is a possibility. Sean Rhyan or Royce Newman could step in at left guard.
This is a difficult situation. David Bakhtiari is a good leader and a great player. It’s a valuable position, and the Packers don’t have a clear alternative, even though their offensive line depth is among the best in the league. Trading him during the season doesn’t seem like a viable option unless the team implodes before the trade deadline, and carrying his big salary into next season will be an issue. The rest of the season might dictate his future, both from his side and from Green Bay’s roster-construction perspective.
*This post has been updated to include Bakhtiari’s comments from Wednesday.
