David Bakhtiari announced the end of his 11-year run with the Green Bay Packers in a post on both Instagram and Twitter on Monday.
Bakhtiari, who is likely being released, called his 11 seasons a “hell of a run” and thanked the city of Green Bay, the Packers organization, coaching staffs and support staff.
The Packers picked Bakhtiari in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He went on to become a five-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. One of the NFL’s most dominant pass-blocking offensive tackles, Bakhtiari is almost certainly headed to the team’s Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame isn’t out of the question if Bakhtiari can return to the field and produce over the next few seasons.
He’ll be doing it in a different uniform.
Bakhtiari was entering the 2024 season with a cap hit of over $40 million. By releasing Bakhtiari, the Packers would save over $20 million on the cap despite taking on over $19 million in dead money.
Here is Bakhtiari’s farewell post on Twitter:
A lot of emotion in this. I just want to say THANK YOU Green Bay. Thank you for the last 11 years. It’s been a hell of a run. I always wanted to raise a Lombardi on Lombardi avenue, but I will never complain. I gave it my all. I always gave it my best no matter the circumstance… pic.twitter.com/dnc7gkKSAC
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) March 11, 2024
Bakhtiari tore his ACL during the 2020 season and has been fighting to get back on the field ever since. He underwent another major operation in an attempt to fix his knee during the 2023 season.
Packers Wire will have more on Bakhtiari’s departure as information becomes available.