Fun-loving David Bakhtiari striving for greatness…and no regrets

[Cheesehead]

"I was going to follow in line until it was time, so my biggest thing is never stepping on anyone's toes regardless of where I ascend to. So this personality you're seeing more and more that comes out, as I've grown, I have then spoken more."


Now, it's Bakhtiari's turn in front of the room. In that regard, it's a role he's actively been preparing for, with how available Bakhtiari has made himself to incoming rookies over the years.


It doesn't matter if it's 2019 first-round pick Rashan Gary, an outside linebacker whom Bakhtiari worked with after training-camp practices last summer, or Elgton Jenkins, a second-round pick out of Mississippi State who wound up starting 14 games at left guard next to Bakhtiari in 2019 after Lane Taylor suffered a season-ending biceps injury.


"Dave's a pro," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "He definitely likes to have a lot of fun, but I think when it comes down to it, he is able to balance having fun and being a pro. I think that's why he's the player he is today. He always gives great effort. He's somebody we can always count on."


The accolades are nice but Bakhtiari has never requested a pat the back for a job well done. Those things will come from your actions on the field. He learned that from seven years blocking for Rodgers, who never once has touted his own greatness in conversations with Bakhtiari.


Bakhtiari, entering a contract year in 2020, has a long list of personal goals he still wants to achieve by the time he's done playing. He's constantly looking for ways to reinvent himself as a player in order to make those goals a reality.


Despite being one of elder statesmen on the roster, Bakhtiari still enjoys being around the locker room and joking with his teammates – and sometimes even the media. It's all been a part of a seven-year learning process that's forged Bakhtiari into the man he is today.


"I love the game," Bakhtiari said. "When I do hang it up … whenever that may be, the No. 1 thing I don't want to do is I don't want to look back with any regret; regret on how my attitude was on a certain day, on how I played a certain game and how I presented myself in a daily capacity.


"I definitely want to, when I do look back, just smile and be like, 'Yeah, I had a great time.'"