The New York Jets have a new and improved offensive line that could get another valued addition this offseason. Ralph Ventre of Fan Nation’s Jets Country identified former Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari as a player the Jets could sign to ensure that quarterback Aaron Rodgers always has elite protection.
David Bakhtiari is a top-shelf left tackle for the Jets to consider for 2024
Bakhtiari received a 78.3 player grade from Pro Football Focus for the 55 offensive snaps he played in 2023. He was effective during the year but in a limited amount of showings. The 6-4 offensive lineman played in one game last season and has only played in 13 over the last three years.
Jets could bank on Bakhtiari returning to All-Pro form in 2024
The last time the 32-year-old was fully healthy came in 2019 when he played 16 games for Green Bay and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors. Rodgers’ former teammate was also a First Team All-Pro honoree in 2020 where he played 12 games.
The Jets could reunite Bakhtiari with Rodgers and bring him on to play behind left tackles Tyron Smith and Olu Fashanu. The Jets are heavily invested in Fashanu, their No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but should he experience rookie woes at any point in the season, the 33-year-old Second-Team All-Pro Smith shows signs of age, or either get injured Bakhtiari could spell for them. New York has $6.43 million in cap space that they can use to attract Bakhtiari to MetLife Stadium in 2024.