GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers play their home opener Sunday at noon at Lambeau Field against the New Orleans Saints.

Whether offensive tackle David Bakhtiari will be able to play is still up in the air.

On Wednesday, Bakhtiari passionately said the reason he didn’t play Sunday in Atlanta had nothing to do with the game being played on artificial turf and he resents the implication.

“I don’t appreciate the assumptions and then putting people in boxes,” said Bakhtiari. “I feel for (Matt LaFleur) because he’s head coach, he’s got a football game. It’s about the Atlanta Falcons last week and it’s about the Saints this week. Y’all got a question with me? Come talk to me. I would never leave them (his teammates) hang out to dry. I signed up to play. I plan on playing, and when I can play, I’m going to play well. If I’m not playing, there’s something going. It’s not like it’s been a secret. It’s been something I’ve been battling with and it’s been sh***y. It’s been weighing on me a lot. You think I don’t want to play? You think I want to be a great football player and then just disappear?”

Bakhtiari has been dealing with serious knee problems for over two years now. He said he’s as frustrated as anyone else that he can’t shake the issues.

“It’s been a perpetuating annoyance that I’ve had to shoulder now since 2021,” said Bakhtiari. “You all know me. You can come ask. I’ll tell you. You think I’m scared to say I didn’t want to play on turf? I don’t think it’s appropriate at all to say that I would not be playing a game because of turf. It’s not appropriate to leave all my teammates out there and not play. So, it’s not an appropriate question to even entertain that. There’s two completely ways you can go with it. The side I was meaning was there’s no way I would even think like that. I wish we didn’t have turf, but we do.”

Bakhtiari said he’s day-to-day in knowing how his knee will be.

“This could be the only game I miss this season. I don’t know,” said Bakhtiari. “I’m just making sure that I check my boxes. I’m able and ready and know when it is great. When we get to go out and play. You think with what I’ve done, I want to not play? I think anyone that alludes to that and that’s funny. For me, it’s pretty devastating. I think every game that goes by, I don’t get any younger. What I want for my own personal self, along with what I want to give to this franchise, I guess it’s tough. The most refreshing thing is to see my daughter’s face in like the no judgment happiness, just saliva everywhere on her mouth, just drooling, just like, she just she loves me. Didn’t matter what I did today.”

Bakhtiari did not practice Wednesday. Aaron Jones and Elgton Jenkins were also out. Christian Watson was limited.