Packers release cornerstone of offensive line

The Green Bay Packers made the difficult decision to part ways with one of the cornerstones of their offensive line Monday.

Left tackle David Bakhtiari broke the news himself, sharing on platform X that the Packers are releasing him.

"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," Bakhtiari said. "For whatever happens next, I look forward to it. ... I cannot thank everyone, so I hope this post will suffice. Don't cry because it's over. Smile, because it happened."

It ends an incredible 11-year run by Bakhtiari, a fourth-round pick by Green Bay in 2013. Bakhtiari was one of the best offensive tackles of the last decade.

However, the news isn't completely surprising as the 32-year-old has played in just one game over the past two seasons after dealing with several knee injuries. Bakhtiari even had surgery on his knee after being placed on injured reserve at the beginning of the 2023 season.

Plus, the move saves the Packers nearly $21.5 million in cap space while taking a dead cap hit of about $19 million, per Spotrac.

The three-time Pro Bowler seems like he wants to continue playing, but after an injury-riddled past couple of years, a retirement announcement would not be surprising either. That will, of course, only be more likely if his market is not looking as good as he'd like.

If Bakhtiari does play in 2024, however, it's difficult to look past the Jets. Bakhtiari blocked for QB Aaron Rodgers for many years and the two could reunite in New York.

Only time will tell whether Bakhtiari will hang up his cleats for good, but Green Bay is only continuing to get younger with his release as the Packers seem to be one of the more up-and-coming teams in the league.