David Bakhtiari makes his feelings on a new contract crystal clear

David Bakhtiari wants a new deal from the Green Bay Packers.

The Green Bay Packers had a very turbulent offseason in 2020. They chose to accelerate the end of the Aaron Rodgers era by picking Jordan Love in the first round, didn’t add any new wide receivers and might have a disgruntled David Bakhtiari on their hands, as he is looking for a new contract before he becomes a free agent at the end of this season.

During a video interview with reporters, Bakhtiari wore a shirt with “Call My Agent” emblazoned upon the front, putting the ball in Green Bay’s court as he looks for a new deal.

The Packers need to keep their elite left tackle in Bakhtiari.

Bakhtiari, originally a fourth-round pick out of Colorado, has quickly become one of the best pass-blocking left tackles in the game today. He has been named an All-Pro in each of the last four seasons and is coming off of a Pro Bowl season in 2019. He is slated to make $10.5 million this season before he hits the open market.

The Packers only have $13 million in cap space at the moment, meaning they will need to get rid of some bad contracts to keep Bakhtiari. This shouldn’t be a hard decision.

With either an aging Rodgers or developing Love slated to be under center, keeping them upright in the pocket will be pivotal to their success in the next decade, and that pursuit starts with a fat new extension for Bakhtiari.

The Packers might be in the middle of a forced regime change given the Love pick, but letting Bakhtiari go amidst all the quarterback strife would be killer for Green Bay’s chances to contend. If Brian Gutekunst is smart, he’ll take Bakhtiari’s request and give his agent a call.