David Bakhtiari raves about Jordan Love's athleticism while calling Aaron Rodgers 'slow as s--t'

It’s no secret that the Packers are preparing to enter a new era. With Aaron Rodgers leaving Green Bay for the New York Jets, Jordan Love takes over as the team’s offensive leader. Veteran lineman David Bakhtiari looks forward to the change of pace.

Bakhtiari, who has missed 22 games over the last two seasons because of injury. Provides veteran leadership for Green Bay’s offense entering 2023. And he expects some new wrinkles for the upcoming season, mostly because of Love’s athleticism.

He also joked that Rodgers provided very little in that department during his time with the Packers.

“Because Aaron is slow as s—,” Bakhtiari said jokingly while speaking with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “Now we actually have an athletic quarterback who can move around.”

Expect to see a little more in the RPO game from the Packers in 2023 because of what Love can do with his legs. It provides the offense with a new element to surprise defenses for the upcoming season.

Although this will be Love’s fourth season in the NFL, it’s his first as a full-time starter. He has some pretty big shoes to fill.

In his 10 career appearances for the Packers, Love has thrown for just 606 yards, completing 50-of-83 pass attempts. He also has three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Love looked a little more comfortable in his brief time on the field in Green Bay’s preseason opener against Cincinnati. He completed 7-of-10 throws for 46 yards and a touchdown. The Packers defeated the Bengals 36-19.

Bakhtiari didn’t reveal too much about Green Bay’s offensive plans for the upcoming season. But it sure sounds like RPOs will be more prevalent in the scheme than in previous years.

David Bakhtiari talks about limited practice reps

Because of the injuries that have plagued him over the past two years, Green Bay has been extra cautious with Bakhtiari in training camp. The offensive lineman gets limited reps, leading to some jokes among his teammates.

“It’s a joke, people here are starting to call me … the Lamborghini — only pull him out on Sundays,” Bakhtiari told Fowler. “That’s almost what they’ve been doing with me. Just give me enough I need to get the engine running, make sure everything is fine, take her on the freeway a little bit and then put her back in the garage.” 

Bakhtiari enters his 11th NFL season in 2023, spending all of it with the Packers. He’s started 130 career games and earned three Pro Bowl trips. He’ll be an anchor for Green Bay at left tackle, assuming he can stay healthy.