Since David Bakhtiari signed his contract extension in mid-November 2020, the Green Bay Packers have paid him about $54 million in cash. He’s played but 6½ games in that time.
Is a better outcome possible? Maybe. Bakhtiari and the Packers continue to express optimism about his return. But that's what they've been saying all along, so there's no taking them at their word. He sat out one day of practice
There’s not much else general manager Brian Gutekunst can do for now. He and the Packers are hostage to Bakhtiari’s contract, which when signed made the left tackle the highest-paid offensive lineman in the game, both in new money average and overall average . That Bakhtiari still ranks No. 2 on both lists almost two years later suggests he and his agent negotiated a world-class deal.
Regardless, cutting Bakhtiari now does the Packers no good, because all they’d wipe from their salary cap this year is the remainder of his $1.1 million base salary. They’ve already paid him about $13 million this season, mostly in a restructure bonus. Might as well have him take his best shot for the season and see what happens. You never know.
Seeing how this played out makes it hard not to wonder if the Packers caught a break that Davante Adams demanded a trade last offseason. They lost a great receiver, no question, but Adams turns 30 later this year, and the Packers got a good return and pushed the injury risk of an older player’s high-end deal onto another team.
Bakhtiari said all he needed was extended rest to calm his knee from the trauma and bruising of two injuries and surgeries. But in fact he eventually had another procedure before the offseason program began last April, a surgery the Packers acknowledged at the start of camp. Months later, he’s still not quite ready to go.
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