Bakhtiari Being Released

[Joemailman]

Figured this deserved its own thread.

David Bakhtiari
@DavidBakhtiari
A lot of emotion in this. I just want to say THANK YOU Green Bay. Thank you for the last 11 years. It’s been a hell of a run. I always wanted to raise a Lombardi on Lombardi avenue, but I will never complain. I gave it my all. I always gave it my best no matter the circumstance and to me, that truly was enough. My 32 year old self is so damn proud of that 21 year old with no facial hair, bushy tail kid that just wanted to do his best. I’m so proud of you. For whatever happens next, I look forward to it. To the city and fans all across the world, I just want to say thank you. To the entire organization, Thank you. To entire coaching staffs, Thank you. To the entire support staff, Thank you. To my wife and daughter (Frankie and Felix): I hope you are proud. To my family (Debbie, Karl, Eric, Andrew, and Danielle): I hope I represented our name with pride these past 11 years in Green Bay. I cannot thank everyone, so I hope this post will suffice. Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile, because it happened.

[King Friday]

Awesome player. Great Packer. Wish it could’ve ended better.

[Frozen Tundra]

Classy way to go. Of course.

Thanks, David. You were greatly loved, appreciated, and admired. Best of luck on Broadway.

[call_me_ishmael]

Cheers to a Packer great. What a great career here.

[run pMc]

Good dude, great player. Injury robbed him and the team of a lot. Many think if he's healthy, GB beats TB in the NFCCG.
The contract was a bad one because of the injury.

Wish him well in the future, unless it's for a NFCN team.

Will be curious to see if he retires or can pass a physical for another team.
This will absolutely impact OL depth and roster decisions, as well as cap space.

[Deputy Nutz]

My assumption is that he will be done with football. I think if he feels he is healthy enough he will only be offered wait and see offers. There are no teams willing to pay him anything guaranteed

[Frozen Tundra]

Campbell, now Bakhtiari. Apparently it's spring housecleaning day at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

Almost like they have a free agent they're getting ready to sign...

[Frozen Tundra]

My assumption is that he will be done with football. I think if he feels he is healthy enough he will only be offered wait and see offers. There are no teams willing to pay him anything guaranteed

I wonder when the soonest is he could even take (and pass) a physical. A lot of teams may have already filled their O-line spots before anyone even knows whether he's healthy enough to sign.

[George Cumby]

Classy.

Too bad it ended with injury.

[run pMc]

The video accompanying the twitter/X post has Sinatra's "My Way" for audio, which makes me think the knee isn't doing what he wants/needs to right now... so a retirement might be next.

Dude had such good technique, what a great pick in R4. At his best, he was among the best in pass pro... franchise LTs are like gold. Won't be a HOF'er, but I think he's in the Packer HOF.

[Joemailman]

This was David Bakhtiari in his last game as a Packer. Legend.

[bobblehead]

Can't believe they cut him since they don't need cap relief since there is no such thing. /Sarc

He's done. I said it before. He was only "trying" so he would get paid. He'd be a fool to risk being in a wheelchair at 40.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Can't believe they cut him since they don't need cap relief since there is no such thing. /Sarc

He's done. I said it before. He was only "trying" so he would get paid. He'd be a fool to risk being in a wheelchair at 40.

The Packers were $20M under with the Iranian Stallion on the roster. They didn’t need cap relief.

Now the Packers are about 40M beneath despite taking a 19M “dead cap” hit from terminating Bak’s contract. Cap hell!

[Teamcheez1]

Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
When the #Packers released All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari, there were some questions about what's next. My understanding: He is diligently rehabbing and is focused on returning to play this coming season, I'm told. He's taking it as it comes. But plans to play.

[Fritz]

Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
When the #Packers released All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari, there were some questions about what's next. My understanding: He is diligently rehabbing and is focused on returning to play this coming season, I'm told. He's taking it as it comes. But plans to play for the New York Jets, whose assistant GM has, we're told, already reached out.

I don't think you got the whole quote, so I added the missing piece there.

[run pMc]

Wish Db the best in the future. I really think he did everything he could to get on the field. They had to release him with that cap hit.
I suspect he is trying to get to where he can pass a physical. If he can't do that he'll retire. If he can, helloooo NYJ (although that turf is gonna hurt).

[call_me_ishmael]

Man, I know he's got a lot of money but he is gonna want a functioning leg for life anyway so presumably he will get it strong again either way.

If you have a chance to go back to the well and make 40M more over the next 3 years if we gets himself right, maybe even more, you gotta do that. That's generational wealth obviously.

[Fritz]

Man, I know he's got a lot of money but he is gonna want a functioning leg for life anyway so presumably he will get it strong again either way.

If you have a chance to go back to the well and make 40M more over the next 3 years if we gets himself right, maybe even more, you gotta do that. That's generational wealth obviously.

It's sad that we, as a society, have to be - or seem to have to be - so concerned with generational wealth. That wasn't even a term ten years ago, I don't think.

But I don't want to get banned, so I'll say no more than that. I just think Bakh's decision on playing will probably be more related to his sense of self - his self-identity. If he still thinks of himself - his identity - as that of a football player, he'll probably keep trying. Lots of these guys have lived, breathed, and eaten football (which would not taste good) for most of their lives. It'd be hard to walk away from such a strong identity.

[Frozen Tundra]

If you have a chance to go back to the well and make 40M more over the next 3 years if we gets himself right, maybe even more, you gotta do that. That's generational wealth obviously.

Bakhtiari's lifetime earnings are in excess of $120,000,000. If that's not enough for the next 10 generations of little bitty Bakhtiaris to lead wealthy lives, then the whole clan can all live under a freeway bridge as far as I'm concerned.

It's not the love of money that will keep him coming back, it's the love of the game. He truly loves football, and he's a smart guy. He knows the fun's almost over, and once it's over, he'll never have that kind of fun again in his life. Like a lot of aging athletes, he wants to continue to experience it for as long as he possibly can.

I don't blame him, and I hope he is able to squeeze another year or two out of it if that's what he decides he truly wants to do. And then when's all over, come back to Green Bay, sign a 1-day contract, and retire as a Packer. Take his place on the wall. He's earned all that, and I wish him well in whatever he decides to do.

[run pMc]

Guys who do it simply for money don't put in the work he did to get where he was, and then try to get back from a bad injury. This guy was an undersized R4 pick who became an elite EDGE eraser by working on his technique until it was great.
I agree that for him it's about identity, and pride. He knows he's good at playing football and loves the game. He wants to do what he's really good at. Nothing wrong with that.

He has certainly made enough money, and if he has to limp away from the game he's got that. I'd bet he'd trade a good chunk of that money for never having the injury though.