After 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, the last three of which were severely hampered by injury, former All-Pro offensive lineman David Bakhtiari is no longer with the team.
On Monday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst declared that Bakhtiari had been let go. The 32-year-old lineman had announced that his stint with the team was over in a lengthy post on X a few hours before.
Bakhtiari’s base pay for 2024 was $20.2 million, with a $40 million cap hit. The Packers would avoid paying the cap by more than $20 million if they released him.
Gutekunst released a statement saying, “We want to thank David for an exceptional 11 seasons in Green Bay.” David made a name for himself as one of the top lineman in Packers history and one of the best tackles of his generation as soon as he arrived.
It is impossible to overestimate his dedication and influence in the locker room and on the field. His inevitable entry into the Packers Hall of Fame is something we eagerly anticipate.
Since the 2021 season, Bakhtiari has participated in just 13 games due to a left knee injury that has necessitated five surgeries. His lone game of the previous season was a win away to Chicago.
When Bakhtiari tore his left anterior cruciate ligament on December 31, 2020, he was in the middle of his second first-team All-Pro season. This injury kept him out of the game for the rest of the season, which culminated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating the New York Giants in the NFC championship game.
When the knee troubled him once more during Green Bay’s 2021 regular-season finale, he was unable to play in the team’s playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. After his recovery, Bakhtiari participated in 11 games in 2022. Last year, he was only able to play one game.
Rasheed Walker, a 2022 seventh-round selection from Penn State, assumed the position of left tackle for the Packers while Bakhtiari was out, and he played well in his 15 starts. With Zach Tom starting on the right side and second-year pros in both tackle spots, Green Bay made it to the NFC Divisional Playoffs last season.
