Green Bay Packers: Major Legal Issues Emerge If Team Moves Away From All-Pro (Report)

Several All-Pro players have left the Green Bay Packers in recent seasons. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are at the top of the list. With the Packers’ unofficial “youth movement” this offseason, it is possible that the team will choose to release a few more former All-Pros. However, one of these could lead to legal complications.

If the Green Bay Packers decide to release David Bakhtiari, they may face an injury grievance.

Ken Ingalls of the Packers’ cap analyst says:

If the Packers release David Bakhtiari before he has passed his physical, he will:

At the very least, qualifies for Injury Protection, with a $1.230M cap in 2024.
Can file an Injury Grievance for his 2024 salary of $21.5M – $8.6M (40%) and have the balance reconciled immediately.

Ingalls also mentioned a conversation he had with someone who is familiar with these types of scenarios:

Essentially, if the Packers fire Bakhtiari, he can claim it was because the Packers made a mistake, and because of how long he has been dealing with it, he may have a case. If a claim is filed and not immediately dismissed, the Packers must hold 40% of the claim amount on their cap until it is resolved – which can take years.

Would the Packers let Bakhtiari go?

The Green Bay Packers and David Bakhtiari have had a turbulent two years. Bakhtiari will miss the rest of the 2023 NFL season with the Green Bay Packers. A cartilage problem has developed in his surgically repaired left knee, necessitating a fifth procedure. Bakhtiari’s final game as a Packers player could have been the Week One victory over the Chicago Bears.

Bakhtiari will have a cap hit of more than $40 million in 2024, but a dead cap hit of “only” $19 million (injury grievance excluded). Even if his knee did not flare up again, Bakhtiari would have been unlikely to stay with the Packers beyond this season.

The former All-Pro left tackle says he plans to play in 2024, whether with the Packers or someone else. Bakhtiari’s release is a real possibility for this team heading into next season. The best scenario is to do it after a physical (if possible).