While David Bakhtiari may wish him the best now with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Green Bay Packers offensive tackle really wanted Corey Linsley to remain his center.
Longtime Green Bay Packers center Corey Linsley is heading to the Los Angeles Chargers in his free agency. While his former teammate David Bakhtiari said he was worth every penny of the reported five-year, $62.5 million deal, you know he is torn up about Linsley bolting for the Bolts.
The perennial Pro Bowl offensive tackle for the Packers quote tweeted a post signifying that Linsley was indeed heading to Los Angeles in his NFL free agency. Bakhtiari and Linsley were teammates in Green Bay for seven seasons upon Linsley’s arrival by way of the 2014 NFL Draft. Though they never got to a Super Bowl together, they sure played in a ton of NFC Championship Games.
Deserved every penny. Congrats to the Chargers on getting a consummate pro. 😢 #illmissworkingwithyou #WHOOOP https://t.co/yIu4X0AM1g
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) March 15, 2021
David Bakhtiari knows Corey Linsley’s departure is a huge deal for the Packers
For as long as Aaron Rodgers remains the Packers starting quarterback, Green Bay is firmly in win-now mode. They may have drafted his heir apparent in Jordan Love last spring, but we have no idea what the former Utah State product will be at the NFL level.
As for Rodgers, he is coming off yet another league MVP. Now, he will need a new center to snap him the football.
The NFL is and always will be a business, but this is a crushing blow for the Packers. Bakhtiari and Rodgers are not getting any younger and they probably needed a player of Linsley’s caliber to help them win the NFC for the first time since 2010. While the Chargers get a high-end center, albeit at a premium, the Packers now have a massive hole to fill right in the middle of their offensive line.
While Bakhtiari is happy for his former teammate, he is sad to see Linsley leave for the Chargers.