Packers All-Pro Has Surprising Thoughts on the State of His Team
Dustin Baker
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The Green Bay Packers are mere minutes, days, weeks, or months from losing their Hall of Fame quarterback via trade to the New York Jets. But the organization seems jazzed about finally starting the Jordan Love era.
Well, that’s all fine and dandy for fans, but one of the Packers keynote players is doing his best to set reasonable expectations — or even forecast a rebuild.
Packers All-Pro Has Surprising Thoughts on the State of His Team
He’s David Bakhtiari, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time 1st-Team All-Pro. The man certainly isn’t downtrodden about the 2023 Packers, but his revelation about the state of the team might surprise some.
The Packers left tackle said Tuesday via Barstool Sports, “The Packers are rebuilding, whether you think so or not. Could they be good? I don’t know, could they be bad? Probably if you’ll be betting.”
Bakhtiari’s mini-bombshell wasn’t received favorably by all — probably because the Packers have enjoyed 30 consecutive years of Hall of Fame quarterback performance between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Packers fans from the last couple of generations don’t know anything about rebuilds.
One popular Packers fan account tweeted, “Not a fan of David Bakhtiari’s comments today. He is one of the leaders of this team. He should not be talking about this team potentially sucking. What message does this send to the locker room? Have some faith in the man that was drafted in the first round. There is potential.”
Another tweeter maintained the realism of Bakhtiari’s musings and opined, “On one hand, 69 should have faith in the new QB. But at the same time, he is acknowledging a harsh reality that is very possible. We also have to understand that this is Jordan Love’s first year as a starter, so for him to come in and expect A-Rod level play is unrealistic.”
Rodgers is expected to join the Jets — at some point — after Green Bay and New York front offices finally agree to trade compensation parameters. For the first time in 18 years, Packers brass has accepted and embraced ending the Rodgers era while uplifting the possible merits of Love’s QB1 ceiling.
But no one, until Tuesday, has quite been brave or bold enough to suggest a Packers rebuild. Oddsmakers peg Green Bay as the NFC North’s fourth-place finisher in 2023, a stunning forecast for a franchise that so frequently wins the division. Indeed, the Detroit Lions are on the uptick, the Minnesota Vikings are predicted for second place, Chicago is lurking at No. 3 — and then there’s Green Bay in a lonesome and unfamiliar spot.
Of course, Love could be the third successive installment in Hall of Fame quarterback supremacy, but according to Bakhtiari, that actually has to, you know, happen first.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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