We all know Bakhtiari's abilities. When healthy he's among the best in the league. But the Packers have paid him handsomely and through no fault of his own they've had him on the sidelines. I don't think it's out of bounds to ask him to help the team get under the cap and get paid according to what he has done. If he can get through next season without being out for an extended time, then offer him a chance to again get his money back.
Guaranteed money in professional football is a big risk. We've all seen why owners are very reluctant to get into that. Players need to be compensated for their abilities, not more, not less.

Asking him to redo his contract--assuming it will give him more money now--is not a big ask.

Does anyone here know if Bakh wants to stay in GB? I mean, if Rodgers leaves, for what ever reason, would Bakh stay? IMO, he's the best LT in the game. I think a lot of what happens with this team, will be in the event that Rodgers leaves it.

Seniority doesn't rule on the football field.
The packers didn't pay for a broken LT.
And Gutey really put friend against friend here.
The Cap was the dividing mechanism.
And it's time for a fresh start, for all parties.
We need space. And while his position is vital.
The revolving door behind him, showed just enough.
Nobody likes change. And while friendship has its place.
It would be best to get what Bahk is worth.
Maybe not for Rodgers. But for everyone else.
My hope is Rodgers and Bahk see the business side.
It's nothing personal.

We all know that Bakh is a premier LT at least going in to this season. We don’t know how long he can remain that and healthy. As such his value is now probably at its highest.

What we do not have is a realistic reason to support us contending unless you simply don’t see issues with the coaching or with this roster, no cap and a 40 this year QB or a guy who has never started with his own game plan.

Bakh is a guy who would have strong value now to a team who looks set to seriously contend. He’s not certain to be around or as good when we are likely to be in that position.

Finally, we all know we are cap broke. We also have players who have played LT effectively. There is a plausible argument that what trading Bakh would bring in cap relief could allow a vet TE/S/DL etc who could actually help Rodgers team more, especially after June 1. If it’s Love’s team, then let youth grow with him, use the cap elsewhere and use the picks to bolster our young core for the future.

At some point we can’t keep everyone and shouldn’t. That’s the knee jerk reaction for anyone good, but retention Carries a cost, here cap and picks we could particularly benefit from at this juncture and also time for Tom, Nijman, Jenkins, Walker and or Jones to play and develop for the future alongside the likes of Watson, Doubs and this years’ draft picks. With a Bakh trade, maybe we can get a shot at a Johnston or Branch and other wish list difference makers.

I’m for the trade: pre June for picks or post it for cap primarily is merely a tactical decision. I would not touch his deal as a result. Trading him is simply the better option if you don’t see a cat in hells chance of a Super Bowl this year with the current outfit and situation. It’s time to move on, look to the next 3-5 years not the last. It’s time to realize some value while it’s still there. There is some honesty.

We need more of that in Lambeau in my opinion. Many have become so entitled they seem to think the good times will inevitably return on their own without hard choices. No, they will not, especially with that attitude. This is part of the downside of that but the upside is the chance to progress in the medium term. Complacency is fatal. We are drowning in it.

Bakh's cap numbers suggests to me he will be here for 2023 and gone after that. As for his level of play post ACL, its fine.

For me, the real question is, if they keep Bahk, how many games can they realistically expect him to play in the regular season? I'd say a minimum of 75%. If that isn't realistic, then how can GB pay him top end level money? An honest assessment of his health is the starting point for any decision. I would try to see if he has any trade value and move on.

If a team has a premier LT, then that’s better than having players in most other positions. The team might not be, even, considering this if Rodgers had not been sucking up so much of the cap space.

If Love is the QB, having one of the best LTs in the NFL protecting his left flank, makes Jordan's learning curve less steep.

And David is a core leader on the team and for the O. I think he is one of the most important players on the roster. I would like to see him back and maybe he is willing to restructure.

If Rodgers' tour in the dark convinced him to play for the Packers next year...then the cap puts Bahkt's 2023 cost back in the decision tree.

I say trade him if he refuses a pay cut. Football is a business, can't run a buddy system for past performance. He never should have gotten the money he did. KC has the best online in football and none of those guys gets bahks money.
The pack problem again this year, too many holes to fill, not enough picks and zero free agent money. thus bahk leaves a hole for sure

"But if, and I mean if, the Packers still think they can compete in the NFC, keeping Bakhtiari is the answer. The pros outweigh the cons and with the Packers offensive line already being as deep as can be, the injury bug shouldn’t be that big of a worry. "

The Packers need to be just as honest with themselves about that OL depth you're talking about. Just how deep are they? Just how good is that depth? Even moreso--making sure that the top of that depth chart is competitive against quality defensive fronts. It's one thing to have a room full of guys you like, but another thing to have top end talent in that room.

If BG/Stenvich/Butkus/LaF can honestly say that they have that quality in reserve--and be right--then judging the market and moving Bakhtiari is a no-brainer.

Just in…the Packers restructures Jaire Alexander and Preston Smith.

Are they planning to r/s Bakhtiari as well?

I believe either Nijman or Tom can handle the LT responsibilities just fine... Bak is an old and expensive risk. And he did NOT come back to form. He's still good at pass blocking, but he left much to be desired in the run game that we employ half of the time.

Just like AR... Trade him for whatever we can get and move on.

Nothing good happens on offense unless people get blocked, and Bakhtiari is one of the best blockers on the team, whether we’re contending or not. It is better, imo to keep him on the team this season.

Well, we'll have to disagree. I think Bakhtiari, this year, is worth more than any draft pick or cap savings we might get for moving him. There are plenty of things a new QB has to worry about, and his blindside shouldn't be one of them.

2024, I'll have a different opinion. Right now, I want the strongest line I can put on the field, and that would include Bakhtiari.

The importance of offensive tackles can be seen in QB play and QB injuries. Brock Purdy looked great until SF played the Eagles and Purdy took a fatal hit. Rodgers had 2 MVP season when he knew is blind side was rock solid - this mean he only had to worry about the middle and right side rush which he could still see while looking down field. Prediction: if Rodgers stays, so will Bak. If Rodgers goes, so will Bak. It's as simple as that.

I see both sides of this argument. If the FO runs it back, Bakhtiari will be our LT, IMO. If in fact AR12 decides to retire (doubtful) or be traded, my advice would be to restructure Bakh, keep him until at least the trade deadline. If he's still playing at the highest of levels, and we're relatively healthy on the OL, we could explore trading him at the deadline to an AFC team.

If Love plays as well as I think he can, we may be playing for the division or a playoff spot and may need Bakh to get us there. If something stupid were to happen and we're not in a position to contend at the deadline, we could always find a trade partner then if we wanted to.

It may also depend on if another team makes Gutey an offer he can't refuse for Bakh before the draft? IDK who that would be, but if Cincy or Chargers or someone were to make such an offer, it would be difficult to turn down, especially if AR12 does leave. Nijman or Tom at LT might be nearly as good as a 32 year old Bakh, with a more mobile QB in Love taking snaps.

Either way, we get compensation for Bakh or we have a franchise LT, which in the scheme of things is the least of our worries, at least for this season.

For those wanting to trade Bakh I would venture that only a playoff caliber team would be a willing trade partner. Which means whatever draft pick you would acquire would be in the very last of that round. So a 2nd would be so late in that round it carry’s about the same weight as an early 3rd. LT is paid handsomely cause it’s that important of a position.
If we keep him one more year his trade value will decrease further but he might show a full recovery and be worth what’s left of his contract. It’s always a gamble with players after an ACL injury

I'd like to see the Packers restructure and keep Bahk. Bird makes good points about options created once 69 is in on the roster at a salary commensurate with his current contributions to the team.

My challenge with Cory's premise is that somehow the Green Bay Packers will develop an identity as a team, and that will lead to the ability to make honest assessments of scheme, players, etc. That will be an uphill slog at best if 12 remains on the team. I don't see how an organization, coaching staff, and team can continue to tiptoe around a giant ego and be honest at the same time. Aaron (loved Harry referring to him as "His Darkness") ain't what he used to was and needs to go if the Packers are to find their identity.

I suspect is that Bakh will be better this year since he will be another year removed from his injury. He was really slow to recover, but it was obvious that the offense was much better when he was on the field. If he is putting in the work, his run blocking will improve and the left side of our line should be stellar. He is only 31 years old so he should have at about 4 more good years before his play drops off.

Bak plays 75% of plays= reduce his pay to 75% of what it was in a restructure.

I wrote this on another site but Trent Williams was traded to the 49ers at the same age that Bakhtiari is now. Who do you think got the better of that deal?