Packers Notebook (Nov. 22)

Locking up Bakhtiari

Quarterback is the most important position in football. That’s why 23 of the 32 starters were taken in the first round. Left tackle is the most important position in keeping the quarterback healthy. That’s why 19 of the 32 starters were taken in the first round.

David Bakhtiari was not among them. In fact, the Green Bay Packers selected him with a fourth-round pick in 2013. That was the year when they moved Bryan Bulaga from right tackle to left tackle to protect Aaron Rodgers’ blind side. Instead, everything changed on Family Night. Bulaga suffered a torn ACL. Bakhtiari, who was battling Marshall Newhouse to start at right tackle, was moved to left tackle.

The rest is history.

The four-time All-Pro is considered the gold standard among left tackles. With Bakhtiari headed to free agency at the end of the season, the Packers signed him to a contract extension Saturday that ties him to Green Bay through the 2024 season. The new money totals $92 million (and up to $94 million with incentives).

Now comes the big challenge for general manager Brian Gutekunst. Because of COVID-related reductions in revenue, the salary cap is expected to fall from $198.3 million this year to $175 million next year. Bakhtiari’s contract, as expensive as it is, will help navigate those stormy seas.

“This gives us a little bit more flexibility moving forward,” Gutekunst said Sunday. “Obviously, David is a very important part of our team. I think he approaches it the right way — takes care of himself, works really hard. It’s very important to him. I think he really wanted to be here. It actually gives us a little more flexibility to move forward.”

Bakhtiari’s contract includes three hefty roster bonuses due in March 2021, March 2022 and March 2023. The Packers will take the 2021 roster bonus and turn it into signing bonus, which will move some of his contract onto future caps. According to a source, that will make Bakhtiari’s cap charge for next season about $11.143 million.

Based on OverTheCap.com’s projections, the Packers will be about $16.3 million over the 2021 cap. How can they deal with that reality? Releasing outside linebacker Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos and right tackle Rick Wagner would take care of that with a few dollars to spare, though not nearly enough to re-sign the likes of running back Aaron Jones or center Corey Linsley, or to make any outside additions to the roster.

One option – perhaps even a necessity – would be to hammer out an extension with receiver Davante Adams, who will be entering his final season under contract in 2021. Adams is due a base salary of $12 million with a cap charge of $16.6 million. Extending Adams would be a win-win, as it would keep a premier player while creating badly needed cap space for 2021.

Gutekunst called the upcoming offseason a “unique” opportunity. A dozen other teams are projected to be over the cap, meaning there will be a lot of veteran players on the market and not a lot of teams with money to spend. At that point, the economic laws of supply and demand will kick in and there could be some quality values.

“The players that might become available to us during the March period may be a little different than it has in the past, and we want to have some flexibility to do those things if we can,” he said.

Strength vs. strength

When the Packers face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the big matchup will be Rodgers vs. Indianapolis’ pass defense.

Rodgers leads the NFL with a 116.4 passer rating. In the team’s nine games, he has eight games with at least two touchdown passes and a 100-plus rating, marking the fourth time that a quarterback has done so in eight of his first nine games of a season in NFL history. Rodgers did it in all nine games in 2011. His counterpart on Sunday, Philip Rivers, did it in eight games with the Chargers in 2018.

Indianapolis ranks No. 1 with an opponent passer rating of 78.9. It’s been even more dominant at home with a mark of just 58.5.

“Rodgers is unbelievable,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “I thought Jacksonville really played lights out. They really played hard. That’s what stuck out to me, is how hard Jacksonville played. I really felt like it was Jacksonville playing a great game and doing some good things. On the other side of the ball, we just know that Green Bay is one of the top teams in this league, has been for the last couple years and a very dangerous team. I just think the world of the Rodgers. I just think he’s a unique player.”

The Packers potentially will get receiver Allen Lazard back in the lineup. He’s missed the last five games following core-muscle surgery.

Playoff standings

Obviously, there’s almost half a season to be played, but the Packers are in first place in the NFC and in control of the No. 1 seed and the only first-round bye in the expanded playoffs. NFC-North leading Green Bay and NFC South-leading New Orleans are 7-2, with the Packers winning the tiebreaker based on the week three victory.

“It is a big deal to potentially receive a bye, but that’s the furthest from our mind right now,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We know we have a great football team in front of us, and we’ve got to handle our business and make sure we prepare the right way and come in with the right mindset and get to work on Indianapolis.”

The Packers haven’t been the No. 1 seed since going 15-1 in 2011. Playing at Lambeau Field under normal circumstances is a big advantage, but these aren’t normal circumstances. With no fans in the stands, the Packers struggled at home in their past two outings. With surging COVID rates in Wisconsin, they might not be hosting fans anytime soon.

“Are we going to have fans or not?” Rodgers said. “The biggest difference is the conditions. Obviously, having a loud fan base is important and feeling the energy, especially for the defensive players is very important. But getting warmer-weather or dome teams up here in December and January has always been, I feel like, a good advantage for us.

“We’ve thrown the ball well in bad weather; we’ve won big games in the bad weather. I think it does even some things out because everything just kind of moves a little bit slower But getting a home game in January, with or without fans – hopefully with – would definitely be an advantage for us.”

The Golden Boy

A Packers legend, “Golden Boy” Paul Hornung, died Nov. 13 at age 84.

Hornung, the No. 1 overall pick of the 1957 NFL Draft, was a driving force behind Vince Lombardi’s “Glory Years” teams. His 176 points scored during the 12-game 1960 season stood as the NFL record for 46 years. The Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson broke the mark with 186 points in 2006, though that required 16 games.

At Notre Dame, Hornung won the Heisman Trophy in 1956. The Fighting Irish went just 2-8; Hornung is the only player to win the Heisman while on a losing team. He even played on the basketball team as a sophomore, scoring 6.1 points per game.

It’s been an awful year for the heroes of the 1960s.

“The Packers have lost another legend,” said LaFleur, who spent the 2014 season at Notre Dame. “That’s four for the year with him, (Herb) Adderley, Willie Wood and Willie Davis. Anytime you lose legends like that, it’s always a sad day. They’re a big reason why the Green Bay Packers are the Green Bay Packers.”