Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari has either intentionally or unintentionally assured New York Jets fans they’ll eventually have Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback.
As shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL’s website, Bakhtiari essentially confirmed during an appearance on Mike Silver’s “Open Mike” podcast that 2020 first-round draft pick Jordan Love is the team’s starting quarterback this spring while explaining why the organization is in the early days of a “rebuild.”
“We’re moving on from a Hall of Fame quarterback. I literally today talked to Jordan about this,” Bakhtiari remarked. “I’m like, ‘The Packers rebuilt from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.’ What are we going to say? It’s not a rebuild? Like, that is what that is. And that’s totally fine. I’m not saying that we’re going to be bad. I’m not saying we’re going to be good. I don’t know and that’s the beauty.”
Bakhtiari raised plenty of eyebrows throughout the NFL community when he suggested earlier this month that the Packers can wait through the summer and even into the fall to trade Rodgers to the Jets if Green Bay remains unhappy with New York’s offers. The two sides are reportedly still negotiating over which draft assets the Packers will receive and if the Jets will get any pick protection if Rodgers retires next offseason.
Former Jets quarterback and current “The NFL Today” analyst Boomer Esiason still has ties to the franchise and confidently declared ahead of this past weekend that a trade “will happen relatively soon” and be finalized “before the draft” gets underway this Thursday night. It was then reported on Sunday that the Packers and Jets recently re-engaged regarding trade discussions.
Some have thought Bakhtiari could potentially follow Rodgers to the Jets. The All-Pro offensive lineman restructured his contract in March and indicated he will play for Green Bay later this year and then either be cut or have his deal extended next winter.
“That’s gonna be mutually decided upon, not today, not sometime in the near future,” Bakhtiari said. “I think it’s gonna come down to, if I had to guess, as we play throughout the season, where I fit moving forward, and then also on my end where I want to be in my career and my life moving forward.”
