Packers Set Deadline for David Bakhtiari Contract Decision
The Green Bay Packers have some questions to answer as we get closer to the start of the 2024 season. They are only sitting on $7.1 million per OvertheCap but there are some moves that can certainly raise the salary cap. It started when the Packers restructured LB Rashan Gary's contract, clearing up $4.781 million in cap relief.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst was speaking with reporters at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana on Tuesday and addressed a looming question regarding one of the longest-tenured Packers.
Gutekunst stated he hasn't made a move with OT David Bakhtiari because he "doesn’t like to make decisions before he has to." He followed that up by saying he would like to make a decision before the new league year starts.
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.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) February 27, 2024
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.
The new league year begins on March 13 at 4 p.m. ET. Bakhtiari is set to have a $39.9 million cap hit in 2024 and that is too high of a number, especially for a player that has struggled to stay on the field.
If the Packers cut the three-time Pro Bowl selection, they would save over $20 million in cap space. That's a lot of money that could go into bringing in more impactful players. Over the past three years, Bakhtiari has only managed to suit up in 13 games.
In December 2020, Bakhtiari tore his ACL and had a cartilage tear in his left knee. The Colorado product then had arthroscopic knee surgery in 2021 after fluid and pain returned in his knee. In 2023, Bakhtiari had to undergo another invasive surgery to smooth out some cartilage in his left knee.
It's been an uphill battle for Bakhtiari to return to the field and it looks like Green Bay is ready to move on.
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