All-pro left tackle David Bakhtiari has signed a four-year deal with the Green Bay Packers worth up to $105.5 Million per ProFootballTalk.com and Ian Rapoport, thus making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league’s history. It has been reported the contract was signed in the early Sunday morning, mere hours before Green Bay defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The #Packers and LT David Bakhtiari agreed on a 4-year extension worth up to $105.5M in new money, source said. He is now the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history. At its base, it’s $23M per year and could reach $23.5M per year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 15, 2020
Bakhtiari was due to see his second contract expire at the end of this season and is now committed to the Packers through the 2024 season. This will come as a relief to the Packers who still have decisions to be made on key personnel whose contracts are due to expire this season like Aaron Jones and Kevin King.
The deal, with included an offensive line record $30 million signing bonus and a roster bonus of $11 million in 2021 and $9.5 million in 2022 and 2023 per ProFootballTalk, is expected to be worth a base of approximately $23 million. This sees Bakhtiari beating out Laremy Tunsil as the new highest-paid offensive lineman in league history, something which he went into the negotiations before the season wishing to become.
Bakhtiari entered the league in 2013 as a fourth-round draft pick by Green Bay. He would start all 16 games as a rookie following an ACL injury to then starting left tackle Bryan Bulaga during training camp of his Bakhtiari’s rookie camp. He has since gone on to become one of if not arguably the best blindside tackle in the league, never giving up more than eight sacks in a season, which he did during his rookie campaign, protecting Aaron Rodgers for most of his time as a starter. This contract will almost certainly see Bakhtiari protecting the Packers 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love‘s blindside near the end of it also.
