Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers Is Ripped From Five(5)-Time Pro Bowler In New York
The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers decided to go their separate ways after the 2022 season. Early on in the 2023 off-season Rodgers made it clear he wanted out of Green Bay. The Packers obliged, and just before the 2023 NFL Draft Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets.
Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Loses Five-Time Pro Bowler In New York
While their first season didn’t go as planned due to injury, the Jets are optimistic that 2024 will be a different story. However, they’ll have to do so without a five-time pro bowler:
According to multiple reports:
BREAKING: #Jets veterans, 5x Pro Bowl tackle Duane Brown, DB Jordan Whitehead, DL Carl Lawson, and Quinton Jefferson are all FREE AGENTS after their contracts voided today.
They can sign contracts elsewhere starting tomorrow, via ESPN.
The New York Jets signed Brown to a two-year, $22 million contract on August 15, 2022. After Mekhi Becton suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve, Brown was signed to replace him. On September 10, 2022, he was placed on injured reserve after injuring his shoulder in practice. He was activated on October 8th. Brown was placed back on injured reserve by the Jets on January 7, 2023.
The 2023 season saw Brown hampered by multiple injuries as well. While injuries have plagued Brown late in his career, Rodgers certainly lost a veteran piece of his offensive line. It will be interesting to see how they replace the tackle position.
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The Green Bay Packers have had two consecutive off-seasons in which they moved on from an franchise-changing player. Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers were traded in back to back off-seasons. The moves allowed Green Bay to build for the future via draft picks as well as clear up much needed cap space.
Now there are reports surfacing that yet another all-pro could be on his way out.
The Green Bay Packers May Force One All-Pro To Walk Away From Team
Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors authored an article titled Packers Expected To Cut LT David Bakhtiari.
While there is no current official news that the Packers are releasing Bakhtiari, the article did reference Matt Schneidman of The Athletic and what releasing David Bakhtiari would mean for the team:
First, let’s revisit what general manager Brian Gutekunst said about cap space and free agency at his season-ending press conference last Thursday: “I think we’re getting to a little bit better spot than we have been in the past. It’s never perfect, but I do feel that whatever opportunities are out there to improve our team in free agency, that we’ll be able to do that, so I feel good about that.
I don’t think we’ll shy away from adding impact players if we have to push things down the road. We’d prefer not to do that, but at the same time, this is about winning and trying to win a championship, so if that’s something that makes sense, we’ll do it.”
According to Over The Cap, the Packers are about $3 million over the cap. There are plenty of moves they can make to create cap space, most notably the release or trade of left tackle David Bakhtiari, which would free up about $21 million.
Will The Packers Finally Move On From Bakhtiari?
The Packers appear to have found their next franchise quarterback in Jordan Love. In addition, the young wide receivers that he has around him appear to have a lot of potential. Next, the organization needs to ensure he is adequately protected.
In Week One, Bakhtiari proved he is still among the best left tackles in the NFL. In addition, Bakhtiari has made it clear he’d like to return to the team.
However, Bakhtiari has played in only one game in two of the last three seasons due to tearing his ACL in December of 2020. If the Packers don’t feel comfortable with his health as the season draws close, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them move on from possible the best left tackle in franchise history.
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