4 teams that David Bakhtiari could help push to Super Bowl contention

Just one year after watching Aaron Rodgers get traded to the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers fans had to watch the team release star left tackle David Bakhtiari.

The move to cut Bakhtiari wasn't a complete shocker as the 32-year-old had been limited to just 13 games in the last three seasons combined due to various injuries, but it's still a bit jarring to see a franchise icon get released at any point.

Bakhtiari is a free agent and with Tyron Smith off the board, he might be the best offensive tackle available. Chances are, at his age, he's going to want to search for that elusive Super Bowl ring. He can help any of these four teams achieve that goal by signing with them.

4) David Bakhtiari can help push the Steelers to Super Bowl contention

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an eventful offseason so far, virtually revamping their offense after years of mediocrity. Their quarterback room has two fresh faces in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Arthur Smith is now running the offense, replacing Matt Canada. Even Diontae Johnson, a longtime Steeler, is now gone.

The offense has a new look, but the offensive line, outside of the release of Chukwuma Okorafor, looks mostly the same. Signing Bakhtiari would change that in a good way.

As of now, Pittsburgh would likely have Dan Moore Jr. as their starting left tackle. Last season as a starting tackle for the Steelers, Moore had a PFF grade ($) of 54.3, good for 63rd of 81 offensive tackles. There are questions about Bakhtiari's health, but he'll almost certainly be better than that when healthy. Having Moore, an experienced starter as a backup wouldn't be all too bad either.

3) David Bakhtiari can help push the Jets to Super Bowl contention

This is a fit most considered to be extremely obvious once Bakhtiari was released, and it's not hard to see why. The New York Jets employ Aaron Rodgers. There isn't much more to it.

The Jets have made it a point to get as many of Rodgers' friends on board as possible, with guys like Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and even Nathaniel Hackett coming to New York with Rodgers. Adding Bakhtiari, who could be his best NFL friend, feels like a no-brainer.

The only question is, are the Jets appealing to Bakhtiari still after their recent moves? The Jets acquired Morgan Moses in a trade with the Ravens and signed Tyron Smith in free agency. Those two players should fill their tackle spots. Bakhtiari could always sign on to be a backup, but would he be open to that? The Jets certainly would be. Having extra depth for an injury-prone offensive line certainly couldn't hurt.

2) David Bakhtiari can help push the Cowboys to Super Bowl contention

The offensive line has been a strength for the Dallas Cowboys for a while now, but they just lost one of their lynchpins, Tyron Smith, to the Jets. Smith has dealt with injury woes of his own in recent years, but let's not get it twisted. He's one of, if not the best left tackle in the game when healthy. He's arguably better than Bakhtiari, a high bar.

Losing out on Smith hurts, but it hurts much less if they can replace him with a different standout left tackle. The Cowboys wouldn't want to sign Bakhtiari for the same reasons that they evidently didn't want to sign Smith, but the fact that Bakhtiari only played in one game last season could mean he's going to be searching for less money than the one Smith received.

Without Smith, the Cowboys would likely move Tyler Smith from guard to tackle, a position he played in his rookie year back in 2022. The Cowboys offensive line would presumably be a whole lot better with a standout left tackle, Bakhtiari, in place, and Tyler Smith playing left guard. Worst case scenario, if Bakhtiari does get hurt, they can move Tyler Smith back to tackle then.

1) David Bakhtiari can help push the Chiefs to Super Bowl contention

If you want to win a Super Bowl, signing with the Kansas City Chiefs is the easiest way to get at least a chance of doing so. The Chiefs have made it to at least the AFC Championship games in every season of Patrick Mahomes' career, and have won back-to-back Super Bowls with eyes on a three-peat.

The Chiefs are a team poised to at the very least compete for another Super Bowl trophy, but adding a left tackle would help immensely. Donovan Smith, the team's starter from last season, is a free agent, so Kansas City needs a replacement. Why not go out and sign one of the best options available with that being the case?

Cap space is a touchy subject for the Chiefs, especially after they were able to sign Hollywood Brown and bring back key contributors like Chris Jones and Drue Tranquill, but perhaps Bakhtiari would be open to taking a little less to join the clearcut Super Bowl favorites who happen to have an opening for him to start.

A healthy Bakhtiari in this Kansas City offense is a nightmarish scenario for the other 31 teams.