After all, current starting right tackle David Bakhtiari, whom the Packers selected in the fourth round in 2013, is only under contract through the 2016 season. In March, he will become a 25-year-old free agent and, if allowed to walk, would likely net the Packers a considerable compensatory pick for the following draft.
If the Packers did want to re-sign Bakhtiari, it would likely come at considerable cost, given that guards T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton will also be entering free agency.
If the team didn't have three of its five starters staring down free agency, re-signing Bakhtiari would be a no-brainer; as things stand, Ted Thompson has some shrewd bookkeeping and negotiating to do.