Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari will miss the rest of the season as he needs another operation on his troublesome left knee.
The two-time All-Pro played in just the season opener for Green Bay this year before he was sidelined due to knee problems. The Packers placed him on injured reserve last week.
Bakhtiari, 32, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during practice on Dec. 31, 2020. He missed the playoffs at the end of that season, then was limited to one game in 2021 and 11 games in 2022 before his one-game campaign this year.
“When it rains it pours, and for me it’s been a pretty significant storm,” Bakhtiari said on Friday.
Last week, Bakhtiari had what he termed a minor operation, and he will soon undergo a procedure to address torn cartilage. He hopes to be ready to return to action at the beginning of training camp in 2024.
“It’s unfortunate. I hate it,” Bakhtiari said. “I know the club hates it. It’s just not a great situation for anyone to deal with. The human side of it is, it took a lot of stress, a lot of time on my end, but the clarity is to know that we finally know what the problem is and we can address the problem. That’s the glass-half-full part of the scenario.”
Bakhtiari acknowledged that his Packers career might be done due to the knee and his contract status. Next season, he would have a $40.5 million salary-cap figure if he is on Green Bay’s roster, while the team would have $19 million in dead cap space if he is released.
“I think everything is on the table,” he said. “For me, I can only control what I can control. Making sure I attack the rehab, win the day, take the bites out of that elephant, finish the elephant and then decide and see. They have decisions they need to make, what’s best for their franchise. I understood that the moment I got in here.”
–Field Level Media
