That must have been one helluva snap.
New Year’s Eve, 2020. It was the final rep of the first team period of the Green Bay Packers practice leading up to the regular season’s last game against the Chicago Bears. David Bakhtiari gathered his mates in the huddle and said it’s going to be a long day, let’s f—ing go, make it look good. The ball got snapped, Bakhtiari took his usual plant, stepped and felt a tweak. He laid down on the ground and his fellow linemen started kidding him, “C’mon Dave, get up.” Bakhtiari couldn’t and knew something was seriously wrong. He was right. Not only did he snap the anterior cruciate ligament, but the ligament actually separated from his femur bone.
October 6, 2023. For 35 minutes, David Bakhtiari fielded questions from reporters about the incredible medical journey he’s been on since that last day of 2020. The Packers placed Bakhtiari on injured reserve just over a week ago and the 31 year old, five time All-Pro left tackle confirmed what most already knew, he won’t be back this season. Bakhtiari underwent an arthroscopic procedure on the same knee the day before the Packers met the Detroit Lions. Another, more extensive surgery has been schedule with Dr. Brian Cole, the noted knee specialist in Chicago. Bakhtiari was able to play in only one game in 2021, the season finale after spending that entire off-season on the physically unable to perform list, only getting activated in November. It appeared the recovery was finally complete in 2022 when started 11 games but that season was derailed when he underwent an emergency appendectomy in December. The Packers carefully monitored Bakhtiari from this past spring’s off-season workouts through training camp, giving him long stretches on non-practice days. It allowed him to suit up and play against the Bears in Chicago on opening day. He played well but within days, the pain returned. Now another season is over. Bakhtiari went into great detail about what his medical team suspected the issue might be and unfortunately has been confirmed even after the first major surgery back in January of 2021 and two “clean-up” scopes since.
Throughout the process of trying to rehabilitate the knee and ultimately playing, Bakhtiari said there was always pain, stiffness and fluid buildup. He said he did everything possible to avoid this procedure and it’s a tough pill to swallow but he has to swallow it. It’s going on nearly three years since the original injury and he was asked why is he willing to endure another rehab effort. Bakhtiari said, “I’m different, I’m stubborn I have an unparalleled work ethic and I don’t want someone else to write my story.”
Bakhtiari also knows the position the Packers are in. He has one year left on a contract that will have a salary cap figure of 40 million dollars in 2024. There’s a possibility the Packers could ask for a significant restructure, try to work out a trade or even cut him if they aren’t convinced he’ll ever return to that All Pro form.
He said he’ll help this year’s team however he can but his focus is on his having what will be his sixth operation in less than three years and beginning another recovery journey.
The Packers got a couple of starters back on the practice field today. Guard Jon Runyan, dealing with an ankle and groin injury suffered against Detroit last week and safety Rudy Ford with an oblique injury were upgraded from non-participants to limited participants. Getting in a second straight day of limited work were Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom, Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes. Luke Musgrave and Carrington Valentine were full participants. The only two players withheld from practice were De’Vondre Campbell (high ankle sprain) and Zayne Anderson (hamstring).
Matt LaFleur said after practice it would be great to get Jenkins back after his MCL sprain in Atlanta, “He brings a mentality to our line which we need.” He’s hopeful all of the limited participants continue to progress before the team heads west to Las Vegas on Sunday.
The team will be staying in a hotel and casino resort and LaFleur said they have done extra education about the NFL’s strict policies on gambling. Players aren’t even allowed to enter the casino.
A lot of Packer fans will be though. Nearly every flight out of Wisconsin bound for Las Vegas has been sold out. This is the Pack’s first visit since the Raiders moved from Oakland into Allegiant Field. The new venue and the lure of the Las Vegas strip has made this THE destination trip for Cheeseheads on the schedule this year. Look for plenty of green and gold in Sin City this weekend.
