The talk of which side has the leverage in the seemingly never-ending Aaron Rodgers trade negotiations produces wide-ranging opinions on both sides. Green Bay Packers two-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who is also one of Rodgers’ closest friends in the NFL, thinks the trade will get done at exactly the right time, before the 2023 NFL Draft.
“I think that has probably been put to rest,” Bakhtiari said on Barstool Sports’ “Bussin With The Boys” podcast. “Could the Packers be really good? Yeah, I certainly hope so and would love that, but also I would be ignorant to not say that this looks like a rebuild. I think the most simple thing is they’ll [the Packers] get whatever picks they wanted, they’ll get it before the draft, and then time will show us. He’s going to be a Jet.”
However, he also believes the Packers could very well blow up the deal if they don’t get the compensation they’re looking for entering what he described as a “rebuild.”
“The Packers are rebuilding whether you think so or not,” Bakhtiari said. “[People will say] ‘Could they be good, I don’t know.’ More people are going to think they’re [the Packers] going to be more bad than good, right? That’s fair to say. Then, they’ll [the Packers] will say ‘We’re going to suck anyways, we want what we want, and we’re not going to bend to anyone, so we’ll just eat it [Aaron Rodgers’ contract]. Stay unretired, we’ll pay you [Rodgers]. We don’t care because if we’re going to do it our way, it’s going to be on our terms. If not, what we’re going to be Super Bowl contenders anyways? We’ll eat it, you [Rodgers] can hang on the side, pay you [Rodgers] your money, we’ll suck anyways, and get the [high draft] picks.”
The reason Bakhtiari feels like Green Bay has to operate with that nuclear button in their back pocket is because the way this trade goes down will have a long-lasting impact on general manager Brian Gutekunst’s legacy and job security.
“As compared to dealing him [Rodgers] for something that you shouldn’t have, you [general manager Brian Gutekunst] could potentially look like an idiot to not only the [team] president and the board but to everyone else around the league, thinking in the GM’s perspective,” Bakhtiari continued. “[Could] put yourself on the hot seat and potentially have your job come called into question. I look at all these ways you can deal it. I don’t think it’d get that…
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