15 August 2023 , 14:04
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Green Bay Packers star David Bakhtiari jokingly fired a shot at New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the NFC North franchise move forwards with Jordan Love.
Earlier this offseason amid plenty of speculation, the Jets finally completed a sensational trade with the Packers to acquire the four-time MVP. Rodgers, the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a fifth-round pick were sent to New York in exchange for the 2023 13th overall pick, a 2023 second-round pick (No. 42), a sixth-round pick (No. 207) and a conditional second round pick in 2024.
Rodgers enjoyed 18 years as a member of the Packers, winning a Super Bowl ring and a collection of individual accolades. However, Green Bay expressed a willingness to move off the veteran this offseason and progress with young quarterback Love, who the franchise selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft before Rodgers won successive MVP awards.
Rodgers is clearly excited to be in New York, taking a $34 million (£26.5m) pay cut to grant the Jets more cap space to add talent before the NFL trade deadline on October 31. However, it seems his old teammates are perhaps excited to move on with a new, more athletic quarterback in the form of Love.
Certainly, Packers star offensive tackle David Bakhtiari is excited to block for a speedier quarterback. Bakhtiari protected Rodgers’ blindside for a decade after he was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, developing into one of the best in the league at his position en route to five successive All-Pro teams between 2016 and 2020.
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While Rodgers is elite in almost every skill a quarterback needs, his speed and agility at this stage of his career leave something to be desired. Love is a great athlete, and Bakhtiari - a close friend of Rodgers - took aim at his former quarterback.
When asked by ESPN if the Packers’ offense might use more run-pass option plays with Love, Bakhtiari joked: “Because Aaron is slow as s***. Now we actually have an athletic quarterback who can move around.”
Jordan Love is Aaron Rodgers' successor as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers (AP)It will be interesting to see how Rodgers responds after a difficult 2022 campaign; he threw 12 interceptions - the most for him in a single campaign since 2008, his first year as a starter. The 39-year-old also failed to post a single 300-yard passing game for the first time in his career, while his passer rating of 91.1 was also the lowest since he took the reins in Green Bay.
The Packers finished with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs following a disappointing campaign, yet Rodgers’ arrival in New York resembles an exciting new era for the Jets. Robert Saleh’s team enjoyed a promising 2022 season only for poor quarterback play to derail a playoff push as the team finished 7-10 - and bottom of the AFC East.
Meanwhile, Love impressed in his first preseason action, completing 7-of-10 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown in a 36-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.