This is another red flag for David Bakhtiari.
The Packers placed their All-Pro left tackle on the physically unable to perform list before training camp starts on Wednesday morning. That’s the second straight season that Bakhtiari will start the year on the PUP list, before being activated off the list on Nov. 10 in 2021.
Bakhtiari tore his ACL in practice on Dec. 31, 2020. Ever since then, it seems like it’s been one step forward and two steps back for the nine-year pro. Our own Aaron Nagler in an exclusive interview with Bakhtiari, found out that his knee was drained “around 15 times throughout the season.” That’s a lot of times to get your knee drained in 17 weeks.
Granted, this could completely be a precautionary measure, just making sure Bakhtiari is right and not wanting to risk anything in training camp. Then again, if Bakhtiari isn’t right, training camp would be a great time to see if his knee can respond.
If the knee cannot respond in basic drills in the early portion of training camp, that’s not a good sign. Because how far behind the eight ball will Bakhtiari be when he is cleared from the PUP list? He won’t be in good physical condition and will need a week or two just to get back up to speed.
Unfortunately, the Packers will be forced to look long and hard in the mirror. Nobody wants to tell the truth, especially when it comes to uncertainty around one of the best left tackles in the game three years ago.
How long is Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst willing to wait? Is he willing to wait until November if Bakhtiari’s knee doesn’t respond before then? Is it time to seriously start thinking about putting Bakhtiari on a pitch count with regards to the number of snaps? He turns 31 in September and it’s not going to get any easier for his body to recover from serious injuries.
You don’t want to immediately gear the conversation toward money, but if Bakhtiari cannot play, that’s what conversations will be centered on. He has a dead cap hit of $35.8 million this year and $23.1 million in 2023.
If Bakhtiari cannot play at his All-Pro level, will he be OK with taking a pay cut that will be equal to the production that he can put forth? That’s a conversation that needs to happen this year if he cannot get back to 100 percent. It’s a conversation that both sides obviously don’t want to happen, but it’s something that is an absolute must.
Basically, this comes down to honesty. Don’t try to hide this problem. Because now that he’s on the PUP list again, it isn’t going away anytime soon.
——————-
Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on “Clubhouse Live” and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
Leave a Reply