Oct 20, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Green Bay Packers helmets during the game against the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
Minnesota Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw tore his ACL and MCL during Thursday Night Football and will not return in 2024.
He’s done.
And unless the Vikings coaching staff trusts some solution in the form of David Quessenberry, Blake Brandel, or Walter Rouse — they might — general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should use the free agent bat phone to call former Green Bay Packers All-Pro David Bakhtiari, assuming his health and knees are up for the task.
Bakhtiari is a free agent ready and willing to sign with an NFL team. This is the perfect situation for the 33-year-old — waltzing onto a 5-2 team that has about 70% playoff odds. He plays left tackle, and Minnesota just lost its franchise cornerstone LT four days ago.
Here’s Bakhtiari’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
2023: 78.3 (Limited Snaps)
2022: 79.8
2021: 75.2 (Limited Snaps)
2020: 91.8
2019: 79.2
2018: 88.9
2017: 87.7
2016: 86.6
2015: 76.0
2014: 72.3
2013: 69.0
The guy was a machine in his prime and has tallied five All-Pro nods in the last 11 years. Here and now, on the Vikings, is the perfect spot for a veteran who wasn’t shy about his intentions to keep playing when interviewed a few months ago.
“My goal right now is just to make sure that I not only fully recover but I can withstand and play the game that I want to play but also play and be there for a team no matter what,” Bakhtiari told ESPN in July. “I’m not a reliever guy, I am your cornerstone guy. Someone that’s not only going to play in September but in December and into February and obviously hopefully for another couple of years.”
Without Darrisaw, the Vikings will likely promote the aforementioned Quessenberry or shift left guard Blake Brandel to left tackle. Stay tuned.
Bakhtiari added three months ago, “I am and love being a left tackle, but I do also want to win a Super Bowl. That’s something that is really, really big too. That’s one of the biggest things that’s kind of evaded me and has been extremely elusive to this point in my career.”
As improbable as it seemed in September, Minnesota is actually a Super Bowl contender through seven games. Of course, the two recent losses haven’t helped the cause, but 5-2 is still a pretty spiffy record.
In 2023, Bakhtiari praised the Vikings organization and its “player report card.” He tweeted in March 2023: “Hey. Testament to them. I don’t think most people know how much all this data means to the players. Quality of life is priceless.”
Heading into Week 8, Minnesota’s offensive line ranked as the NFL’s 16th-best, according to PFF.
Bakhtiari’s former Packer teammate Aaron Jones currently works for the Vikings, so maybe the organization could send him on the recruiting circuit.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.