Bakhtiari out for rest of season
Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari will miss the rest of the season after the three-time Pro Bowl selection injured his knee in practice Thursday.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed the severity of the injury Friday. The injury comes six weeks after the standout left tackle agreed to terms on a fouryear contract worth up to $105.5 million with a $30 million signing bonus.
“It’s just one of those unfortunate, freak things that happens sometimes in practice,” LaFleur said. “It was certainly nobody’s fault. It was a freaky deal, and you know, it’s tough to replace a guy of his caliber. I mean, you’re talking about a premier left tackle in this league.”
The injury was first reported by NFL Network.
Bakhtiari played a major role in helping the Packers (12-3) win a second straight NFC North title and score a league-leading 31.6 points per game. The 2013 fourthround pick from Colorado was one of seven Packers selected to the Pro Bowl last week.
He was a first-team Associated Press All-Pro in 2018 and a second-team selection in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Chico native and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Friday he was “still kind of in the grieving process” after learning Bakhtiari wouldn’t return this season.
“It’s tough to see a guy go down at practice like that,” Rodgers said. “You’re hoping for the best. I got a call from him yesterday late in the afternoon. I was hoping for some good news, didn’t get it. You’ve got to move on, but right now it’s still a little raw. We’re still sad and hurting for Dave just because it’s our brother and it’s our left tackle, our teammate. It’s been a tough time for us...”
Bakhtiari missed three games earlier this season with broken ribs.
Bakhtiari’s injury will force Green Bay to shuff le its offensive line once again as it heads to Chicago (8-7) in a game with major implications for both teams.