Bakhtiari is forced to call an audible
Lineman gets creative as contract year awaits
GREEN BAY - It was a most peculiar contract David Bakhtiari signed this spring, not at all like the one he hopes to sign sometime before next spring, but necessary all the same.
Forced to call an audible on his offseason training amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Green Bay Packers left tackle did what employees across America are doing, using geography to maximize workplace production. For the past eight offseasons, Bakhtiari has trained with former teammate Clay Matthews. No, social distancing was not going to disrupt their routine, even with COVID-19 precautions limiting access to their offseason training grounds at ProActive Sports Performance in Westlake Village, California.
They just had to be careful, and get creative.
Inside Matthews’ new home, where the former Packers edge rusher (now a free agent) built a formidable home gym, the longtime teammates pushed each other this spring.
“It was almost like a little mini
ProActive that I had,” Bakhtiari said. “So we were able to have our trainers print out a form, and we kind of made an agreement, like, ‘Hey, you’re not going to go out and do anything, I’m not going to do the same.’ That way we’re not exposing ourselves to anything outside, and we were able to push each other and train during a time when it was true social distancing and isolation.”
Bakhtiari hopes those training sessions propel him into what could be a critical 2020 season. With the final season of his four-year, $48 million contract looming, Bakhtiari is