Pack-A-Day Podcast - Episode 1770 - Could the Packers Still Trade David Bakhtiari?
On today's show, Andy reviews why June 1st re-opens the possibility of a David Bakhtiari trade and discusses if it could actually make any sense to move the All-Pro left tackle. Don't miss it!
By AndyHerman
On today's show, Andy reviews why June 1st re-opens the possibility of a David Bakhtiari trade and discusses if it could actually make any sense to move the All-Pro left tackle. Don't miss it!
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Andy is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and owns & operates the Pack-A-Day Podcast. Andy has taken multiple courses in NFL scouting and is an Editor for Packer Report. Andy grew up in Green Bay and is a lifelong season ticket holder - follow him on Twitter @AndyHermanNFL!
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Comments (26)
PatrickGB
May 31, 2023 at 09:40 am
Save two million? Meh
SicSemperTyrannis
June 02, 2023 at 02:25 am
It's really 21.5. If he's gone by 6/1 next year we get $21.5M in cap space. I still don't see how it's worth losing him, in any successful play I saw last year Bakh absolutely DOMINATED!
If he doesn't play a single game on turf this season, that's 5 games somebody else gets to show they can fill his shoes. If that happens, (and that's a big if) AND a team that's all in on the SB this year loses a LT and they make an offer you can't refuse?
Cross that bridge if it's intact. I'd rather see Bakh finish his career here, and that might be another 5+ years ...
Leatherhead
May 31, 2023 at 11:24 am
We do not have too many good offensive linemen and Bakhtiari helps us more this year than any draft pick next year.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 02, 2023 at 02:27 am
I'll double down on that, there's no way two draft picks = 1 Bakh. Not in their first year, he's just got too much savvy.
Barnacle
May 31, 2023 at 01:22 pm
Gute did something stupidly and pissed off one the best QBs of all time. When Rodgers told Murphy to fire Gute or trade him(Rodgers). Murphy should have done both…..Gute for doing an incredibly dumb thing and trade Rodgers for a boat load of draft capital.
Now Gute has a highly paid lineman(Bahkteria) who probably has better feelings toward Rodgers than the front office.
I do not expect Gute to make a wise decision. Other experts seem to wonder about Gute’s draft choice every year. Keeping Joe Barry seems questionable. It might be the head coaches decision, but the GM could override that decision. I have a hard time identifying anything noteworthy that Gute has accomplished.
I hope we trade Bakt, he was a big part of the whiners group.
Guam
June 01, 2023 at 07:26 am
The coaching staff reports to Murphy, not Gute. Drayton and Barry are on LaFleur and Murphy, not Gute. And this has been written about many, many times on CHTV. The coaching staff does NOT report to Gute and he has no ability to hire or fire them.
There have been several rankings of football GMs recently and Gute has consistently ranked in the top 25% of the league. Yes, we can all bitch about some of his draft choices, but that is true for every GM of every franchise.
CanPackFan
June 01, 2023 at 03:35 pm
Bang on Guam. Everybody looks at GB and assumes that they have the traditional reporting structure as many other teams do. But they don't and its why a meddling President can override a GM and it makes the GM look bad. Frankly, MM and MLF need to take more accountability for some of their mistakes versus painting Gutes with it all.
PackAttackJack
June 01, 2023 at 07:53 am
Bakhtiari is a cancer and I don't mean astrologically.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 02, 2023 at 02:29 am
Dude's great at his best.
PackAttackJack
June 01, 2023 at 07:54 am
Bakhtiari is a cancer and I don't mean astrologically.
dobber
June 01, 2023 at 09:24 am
Bakh is one of ARod's good friends on the roster, and there were clearly points where the two were in step with criticisms of coaching or management. It's easy to peg him as a malcontent...but he's never been an independent unit on the Packers--ARod has been in GB Bakh's entire career up til now. Let's see how he operates once camp starts and a different dynamic asserts itself.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 02, 2023 at 02:33 am
Bakh is part of the reason you can say GB hasn't stripped the cupboard bare to be a classic "rebuild." He's a main connection to our best 3 seasons, and the entire standard that is our legacy.
He also completely dominates at his position. All he has to do is be professional at practice and he's worth his weight in green and gold.
NJ-RICK
May 31, 2023 at 01:42 pm
I couldn't agree with you more. I've been saying it for years Gute is not the GM to take the Packers to the next level. The guy has made to many dumb draft picks and trades. Should have traded AR12 to the Bronco's before the 2022 season. Broncos were offering the house, multiple #1's and #2's picks plus players. Now the Packers are in salary cap hell for the next few years. How this guy is still the GM beats me... Now I'm questioning everyone sitting in the front office.
bottlefliper
June 01, 2023 at 04:10 am
You have no idea what "sc hell" means? we are in great shape if you look on the money side of things. The opposite may be true.
And Gute may be one of the best in the NFL. You should question more yourself than anyone else...
dobber
June 01, 2023 at 09:45 am
I think you're on the mark: the righting of the salary cap is well underway. They got out from under 12's deal...made a cap-friendly deal with 10. I think that Bakh not having void years--whether he wanted it that way or the team did--moves that forward, assuming the Packers don't extend him.
In general, successful teams have been more willing to absorb dead cap and void years in pursuit of a title. I'd argue this team has come to terms with the fact that they're reorganizing around the next window.
Guam
June 01, 2023 at 07:30 am
Murphy publicly took credit for resigning Rodgers rather than trade him. How can you blame Gute for not making that trade when he was overruled by his boss - Murphy? The salary cap hell and hanging on to Rodgers are both tied to Murphy.
Bitch all you want to about Gute's drafts, but the Rodgers fiasco is on Murphy.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 02, 2023 at 02:40 am
Rick, no team would have traded their QB after winning MVP 2 years in a row. The FO didn't have the benefit of hindsight.
Gutey has made some good picks, and picked a risky strategy with this year's picks; we all hope it pays off by the next 3 seasons. That's really the test.
Many also say if JL flops, that's Gutey's legacy. I think they commit to him more than just this one season either way, but I expect him to at least run the offense competently. Hopefully he also shows he can score from anywhere on the field, but dink and dunk is the direction the whole league has gone.
vin0770
May 31, 2023 at 02:02 pm
If you could get something in the 75-80% value to value trade…I’d do it in a heartbeat. I don’t think trading him for the sake of trading him and merely saving money helps. I just fear he’s stepping off the cliff this year and isn’t close to being a stud.
patspackers
May 31, 2023 at 02:47 pm
One of the most.important aspects regarding Bahktiari was left out - his effect for Jordan Love. Perhaps the most important goal for the Packers in this "off year" (where, even if they want to win every game they're still allowed the benefit of the doubt) is to resolve their quarterback position. They need to give Love every chance to play.well, and need to figure that out before anything else. IF, and maybe a big IF, Bahktiari can play, whatever monetary cost there is from keeping him is worth it having Love's most vulnerable side protected. You will probably learn little about Love if he is running for his life while the left tackle learns on the job. Even Aaron didn't play so well when he was.
GregC
May 31, 2023 at 07:09 pm
Bahktiari missed virtually all of the 2021 season and a big chunk of the 2022 season. He was missed, but it was not a disaster. Yosh Nijman did a decent job at LT. So if someone offers something like a 2nd round pick, I would trade him.
dobber
June 01, 2023 at 10:33 am
This is coming from someone (me) who was full-on "deal Bakh and move someone into the LT spot" until they redid his deal. Once they redid his deal (and how it was redone)--and given that credible rumors of the team shopping him were few and far between--I think it's pretty clear that he's in town through at least the trade deadline.
I think that if Nijman was assessed broadly by personnel guys across the league as being really good, that a 2nd round tender wouldn't have kept him in town. I think a starting quality LT in return for a second-round pick would be a no-brainer...so the take-home there would be that he was not viewed broadly this off-season as a bookend LT . Plenty to prove, apparently.
I think the answers to why they didn't move on from Bakhtiari is covered several times over--
--questions about the ability to man BOTH the LT and RT positions week-in and week-out with the personnel on the roster.
--a desire to not have to use high picks in the 2023 draft on OL (arguably, they'd need to draft a T if Bakh was removed)
--a perception of OL depth that just needs time to shake out
--a need to competently cover 10's backside as he settles in
--cost-return analysis: dead money vs. draft picks vs. a quality LT
I don't read much into 69 not doing much in OTAs...it's a good time to look at personnel combinations, and veteran rest is a real thing. Some are saying he won't play on turf anymore...the Packers are paying him too much for him to be a part-time player (I think 6 of their 9 road games are on turf this year) and disrupt line continuity on a regular basis. All signs point to the Packers saying they think he's still a quality LT.
I think they ride him this season, show he can still play, and deal him either in November or after the season ends. Yes, there's some real risk there, but I think they've weighed all those out.
Esquetoi
May 31, 2023 at 02:52 pm
Tarade him already. He's not a hall of famer. He's not a bulldozer which is something the Packers are likely to favor across the line. The Bengals could also be a partner in this. Jonah Williams is now supplanted after underachieving his first 3 years and he's expressed his disagreement in him being switched to RT. Get Jonah Williams for Bahk, a second rounder and be done with it. Throw in their H back. These are all teams where a second round pick is hardly the cream of the draft. They have no money reservations with acquiring Bahk and that allows for signing their skill positioners to their second contracts. I know stuff as I live here in Cinti.
NitschkeFan
May 31, 2023 at 07:33 pm
Andy, thanks. That was a great podcast! I really appreciated the breakdown of the salary cap implications of the various scenario's. Really well explained.
packer132
May 31, 2023 at 07:47 pm
Good breakdown, Andy. I feel that Bakh will play for the Packers this year and probably be traded after the season. A team can trade and only pay him $2 million this year and $21 next year. Assuming that he stays healthy, he is still one of the best left tackles in the NFL. He will be 32 soon, and has been a steady starter until his injury, missing 2021 and a few games last year. He only missed 8 games out of 80 in the previous 5 years, despite many fans saying he is always injured. Packers OL is very deep and could make it without him should a team offer a 2nd round pick (KC/Jets). Today they had Caleb at LT and Tom at RT. The best left tackles make $19-25 million a year, so he is not really expensive. His cap hit is $40 mill next year though. His knowledge and veteran leadership also counts. I wouldn't want to make that decision.
CanPackFan
June 01, 2023 at 03:31 pm
I feel this is Bakh's last season here in GB. For one, his contract is too rich next season. Secondly, he wants a Super Bowl ring and he is getting older. He needs to be on a contender now for a shot at a ring. And lets face, we are likely a number of years away from being an elite contender.
Will he, or maybe better yet, can he be traded? His knee surgeries are known around the league and may be a huge stumbling block for reasonable trade value in return? And for a dead cap hit this season of only $2 Mil, I don't think trading him is a Packer priority... But as always, GPG
greengold
June 01, 2023 at 03:45 pm
WOW! Just saw this on another site and it is the most Bakhtiari staying in GB thing I've heard him say:
"My biggest thing to him (Love) is: Be you. I don't need you to be anything different than you were, you don't need to be Aaron. So whatever is comfortable for you, let's do that." — David Bakhtiari
Awesome.
https://lombardiave.com/posts/packers-david-bakhtiari-perfect-reaction-j...