Packers just made it easier to trade Aaron Rodgers teammate to the Jets

March 12, 2023 ndowd

The Green Bay Packers restructured David Bakhtiati’s contract, making it all the easier to include him in an Aaron Rodgers trade.

It’s no secret that Aaron Rodgers and David Bakhtiari are friends. They’ve been teammates for nearly a decade, as Bakhtiari has protected Rodgers blind side — he’s essentially the eyes in the back of Aaron’s head.

So, in any trade that sends Rodgers to the New York Jets, could Bakhtiari follow? I made that case following a tweet from Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday.

Packers insider Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wondered if David Bakhtiari might be part of the trade to New York. Bakhtiari and Rodgers are close, and there’s no guarantee the former would choose to continue his career without the latter.

Just a thought: What are the chances Rodgers would want LT David Bakhtiari to be part of the #Packers deal to the #Jets? It’s curious his deal hasn’t been reworked when all the others have been done for a while. It would shave $5M off GB’s cap if he were traded before the 17th.

— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) March 8, 2023

Will the Packers still trade Aaron Rodgers and David Bakhtiari?

Now, since running that story, the Packers have restructured Bakhtiari’s contract, making him even easier to move.

The #Packers have restructured LT David Bakhtiari’s contract, per sources, converting $9.5 million into a March roster bonus and $5.5 million of his 2023 base salary into a guaranteed signing bonus.

This will lessen his $28.8M cap hit for Green Bay to maneuver.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 10, 2023

It lessens Bakhtiari’s cap hit should Green Bay wish to trade him. Alternatively, if Bakhtiari stays, it gives them a cheaper pillar on the offensive line, something any young quarterback needs as they develop.

Mark Murphy admitted on Friday night that Rodgers days in Green Bay are essentially behind him. Bakhtiari, not being as large of a household name outside of Wisconsin, is an unknown right now.

“I can’t get into all the details,” Murphy told Action 2 Sports’ Adriana Torres. “But it’s a situation where I think we wanted to help Aaron achieve what he wanted, as well as the Packers, and hopefully create a situation where it’s kind of a win for both sides.”

Murphy did admit that he could see Rodgers returning to the team as the starting quarterback — even after all this — if “things don’t work out the way we would want.”

No. 12’s days as a Packer are numbered at this juncture. Are Bakhtiari’s as well?

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