The Green Bay Packers were one of the most surprising teams in the NFL last season. After moving on from future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers by trading him to the New York Jets, the team gave the reins of the offense over to 2020 NFL Draft pick Jordan Love. While it took a while for the team to mesh, a 7-3 record in their final 10 games showed that the future came quickly to Green Bay.
While the praises of Love and the young offensive skill players were highlighted in the second half of the season (and rightfully so), another player stepped up early in the season to ensure that the unit was successful. When left tackle David Bakhtiari was shut down for the season after just one week, 2022 seventh round pick Rasheed Walker became the team’s starting left tackle.
Rasheed Walker Had a Stellar Season for the Green Bay Packers
Bakhtiari started the season with a bang in the Packers’ Week One win over the Chicago Bears. He played extremely well, and was seen flipping off fans that booed the team, waved ironically at fans from the endzone while laying on his side, and looked like the two-time First Team All Pro that he is.
Unfortunately, that would be the only game that he played in 2023. Even though he dominated on the field, he reinjured his surgically repaired knee and required even more work on it. In his place, the Packers inserted Walker, a seventh round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, into the starting lineup at left tackle.
While Walker was certainly not prime Bakhtiari, he was more than serviceable. He ended the year with a 74.7 pass blocking grade (per PFF), the second-highest grade on the team behind two-time Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins.
In 966 snaps at left tackle, Walker allowed just 26 hurries (less than one per game), four quarterback hits, and six sacks.
On Tuesday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked if he thought Walker could be “LT1” for the 2024 team. He responded, “I certainly think he’s already shown that.”
Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst Sets a Deadline for David Bakhtiari Decision
So where does that leave Bakhtiari? With a salary cap hit just shy of $40 million in 2024, it does not leave him in a good spot when it comes to potentially finishing out his contract. Even if he had been healthy over the past three years (he has missed 38 games in that span), he would not play this upcoming season with that kind of cap hit.
In short, the Packers can save $21 million on their 2024 salary cap by cutting him. And while Gutekunst would not commit to Bakhtiari being cut, he did not deny that it was off the table:
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said he hasn’t made a move w/LT David Bakhtiari cuz he doesn’t like to make decisions before he has to.
He certainly doesn’t want to carry his cap number once the league starts.
“Like to have a decision before that,” BG said just now at the combine.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) February 27, 2024
The new NFL league year begins on March 13. That means that a decision will be made in the next two weeks. Bakhtiari still has a ways to go in his recovery from his latest knee injury, so every indication is that this may be end of the line for the three-time Pro Bowler in Green Bay.
