Every NFL team’s highest salary for the 2023 season
By Nick Villano
Green Bay Packers: David Bakhtiari — $21.336 million
The Green Bay Packers are out of the Aaron Rodgers business and likely couldn’t be happier. Like Brett Favre before him, the Rodgers nonsense got old fast. He’s now off to play with the New York Jets (deja vu), and the Packers can move forward with Jordan Love. This is a young team with a few stars, including offensive lineman David Bakhtiari.
Despite his star status, how many people could guess he was the Packers’ highest-paid player? Many would probably guess Jaire Alexander ($10.75 million), Rashan Gary ($10.89 million), or Preston Smith ($6.37 million). Bakhtiara clears all of them by almost double.
It would be really surprising if the Packers let Bakhtiari go into next season with his current deal. While this number looks hefty, he clears $40 million in cap space next season. An extension for the 32-year-old is pretty likely. That’s too large a price to pay for a team like this. Also, the Packers want to keep their quarterback clean. Bakhtiari could use an extension. This feels like a win-win.
Who knows what the future holds for the Packers? They might be sneaky good this season, or the bottom might fall out. Would anyone be surprised if they won the division or ended up in last place? Teams in this type of turmoil usually have a weird player as its highest paid.