Bakhtiari tore his ACL during a non-contact drill. The sound, teammates later said, was like a gunshot in the cold.
He would never be the same.

The rehab stretched into a labyrinth of setbacks: swelling, scar-tissue buildup, fluid drainings. He fought back multiple times, only to be sidelined again.

In the end, the injury didn’t just test his body — it tested his faith.

“There were days I couldn’t bend my knee,” he said last year. “Days I thought, maybe this is it.”

Yet even amid frustration, he stayed visible — attending games, mentoring younger linemen, cracking jokes from the sideline.
“David refused to disappear,” said center Josh Myers. “He stayed part of us even when he couldn’t play.”

Still, reality loomed. The knee never stabilized for a full season.
He played just 13 total games across the last three years.

And for a front office in transition, sentiment could no longer override sustainability.

IV. The Decision Behind the Goodbye

General manager Brian Gutekunst called the decision “gut-wrenching but necessary.”

“It’s not about what David can’t do,” Gutekunst said. “It’s about where our roster is going. We owe it to him to give clarity now, not later.”

In other words: respect through honesty.

The Packers are young now — the youngest roster in football last year — and building around quarterback Jordan Love requires flexibility, not nostalgia. Bakhtiari’s contract, with a $40-million cap hit in 2025, was immovable.

The move saves Green Bay roughly $20 million in space, money that can be reallocated to re-sign ascending players like Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, or Christian Watson.

“Timing’s brutal,” Gutekunst said. “But legacy doesn’t end with a transaction.”

V. The Locker-Room Reaction

The mood at Lambeau on release day was subdued — a mixture of gratitude and grief.

“Everybody knew it was coming,” said guard Elgton Jenkins, “but it still hurts. He was the big brother in the room.”

Bakhtiari’s locker had been a cultural hub — music playing, jokes flying, rookies getting roasted with love.
He was mentor and mischief-maker all at once.

“He kept things real,” said running back Aaron Jones. “He’d tell you when you messed up, then buy you dinner after. That’s leadership.”

VI. The Friendship With Rodgers

Of all the players processing the news, one name outside Wisconsin loomed largest: Aaron Rodgers.

Their bond extended far beyond football — vacations together, off-season workouts, shared humor, shared history.

When Rodgers left for New York, he called Bakhtiari his “soul brother in this game.”
When Bakhtiari was released, Rodgers posted a simple Instagram story:

“The best to ever protect my blind side. Love you forever, bro.”

They’ve talked privately this week, according to a source close to Bakhtiari.
“Those two still finish each other’s sentences,” the source said. “It’s rare — the kind of connection that doesn’t end just because the uniform changes.”

VII. The Farewell Post

Bakhtiari’s social-media farewell went viral not because of length, but because of tone. It wasn’t bitter. It was grateful.

He thanked fans for “making Sunday feel like family,” coaches for “believing in a kid who barely filled out a jersey,” and Rodgers “for letting me guard the greatest show on grass.”

He ended with a line that instantly trended:

“Green Bay made me a man, not just a lineman.”

Within hours, former teammates flooded replies — Jones, Jenkins, Rodgers, Davante Adams, even younger players who never shared the field with him.

“You showed us how to work,” Adams wrote. “And how to laugh while doing it.”

VIII. The Fans’ Response

In Titletown, nostalgia cuts deep.

Fans lined up outside Lambeau that evening to leave handwritten notes by the players’ gate — a spontaneous tribute rarely seen for an offensive lineman.
One read, “Thanks for guarding 12 and guiding us all.”
Another simply said, “Forever 69.”

At local bars, highlight clips played on repeat: Bakhtiari pancaking rushers, celebrating touchdowns with wild hair flying, chugging beers courtside at Bucks games.

“He was Wisconsin energy personified,” said fan Kelly LaGrange, wearing a faded No. 69 jersey. “Tough, loyal, goofy. We all felt like we knew him.”

IX. Legacy by the Numbers

• 131 career starts

• Three All-Pro selections (two first-team)

• Two Pro Bowls

• Allowed only 23 sacks in eight full seasons

• Voted team captain five times

More than stats, though, his influence shaped generations of linemen.
Coaches across the league cite his film in clinics.

“Bakhtiari made the kick-slide look like choreography,” said former NFL tackle Joe Thomas. “He’s part of our teaching canon now.”

X. The Injury Paradox

Even in pain, Bakhtiari never stopped mentoring.
When his knee forced him off the field in 2023, he spent practices standing behind the offensive line, offering mid-rep feedback.
“Use your hands earlier,” he’d tell Walker.
“Anchor here,” he’d remind Tom.

He couldn’t play, but he could teach.
“Some guys disappear when they’re hurt,” said Jenkins. “He doubled down. That’s what makes him special.”

XI. The Front Office’s Respectful Exit

Unlike many high-profile departures, this one carried no bitterness.

Gutekunst met Bakhtiari privately days before the announcement. They spoke for nearly an hour.
The GM thanked him for “a decade of protection and professionalism.”
Bakhtiari thanked the organization for “letting me become myself.”