Nearly all of Aaron Rodgers’ buddies have joined him on the New York Jets, but one key missing piece is two-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who remains on the Green Bay Packers. The two were teammates for ten seasons donning the green and gold.
Unless there’s another trade between these two historic franchises in order, the 2023 season will mark the first of Bakhtiari’s career where he won’t be protecting Rodgers’ blindside. Yet, there’s one former Packers teammate who believes Bakhtiari could be headed to the Big Apple in the near future too.
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According to Kurt Benkert, who spent the 2021 season as a backup QB with the Packers, where he got to know both Rodgers and Bakhtiari, there could still be a reunion for the dynamic duo in New York. Kay Adams of the Up and Adams Show asked Benkert who he thought Rodgers would miss the most now that he’s in New York after spending 18 seasons in Green Bay. Here was Benkert’s response.
“David Bakhtiari. I’m going to put a really hot take in this. I think there’s a chance there’s a reunion one day. Maybe this year, maybe next, I could see one more piece of the puzzle ending up in New York. I think if anyone ends there, it’s going to be David.”
Kurt Benkert on David Bakhtiari potentially joining Aaron Rodgers on New York Jets
Trading Bakhtiari without a contract restructure would come with a $19 million dead cap charge for each of the next two seasons for the Packers. Bakhtiari, 31, has two years left on his contract with the Packers, and although he’s played in just 12 games in the past two seasons, he’s still the starting left tackle in Green Bay. Keeping first-year starter Jordan Love upright in 2023 will be just as important as forming a clean pocket for the four-time MVP in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Jets have their own concerns up front. Soon-to-be 38-year-old left tackle Duane Brown is currently on the physically unable to perform list, and 2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton has yet to grab hold of the starting right tackle job from Max Mitchell.
Rodgers did recently take a $35 million pay cut, which, as Benkert and Adams mentioned, saves some room for Bakhtiari in New York. Yet, while there’s certainly room for Bakhtiari on the roster, convincing the Packers to give up their three-time Pro Bowl left tackle is much easier said than done.