David Bakhtiari bids farewell to Green Bay

March 11, 2024
|In Packers
|By Zach Heilprin

The inevitable became reality Monday with David Bakhtiari announcing he was being released by the Green Bay Packers.

With a salary cap hit of $40 million in 2024, the decision to move on from the five-time All-Pro was always the most likely move. It comes after the left tackle had barely played the last three years due to a significant knee injury suffered on New Year’s Eve 2020 and complications in his rehab that resulted in several additional surgeries. The 32-year-old was on the field for just one game in 2021, 11 in 2022 and just one in 2023. He hadn’t played a full season since 2019.

Green Bay will get nearly $20.1 million in salary cap space as a result of cutting Bakhtiari, though he will still count $19 million against the cap in 2024.

Though he is not at Bakhtiari’s level, the Packers did get a solid performance from second-year left tackle Rasheed Walker on Jordan Love’s blindside. A former seventh-round pick, Walker started 17 of the team’s 19 games, with Pro Football Focus crediting him with six sacks allowed. It’s unclear if the Packers view Walker as their future at left tackle.

Bakhtiari is the midst of another rehab but reportedly wants to continue to play. If cleared, many expect him to land in New York with the Jets and former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.