How to repair an outdoor bench leg(s)

Here's my patio bench in better days. It's now showing the wear of being outdoors (covered) 24/7 in Michigan. One of the back legs has deteriorated badly and I haven't a clue as to how to salvage it. Would I cut off the bad part and add a piece of fresh wood? Is there such a thing as a metal cover that would protect the legs from the weather? And if the repair is too much, who would I contact? A carpenter? A landscaper?

Any advice would be appreciated!!

 

It doesn't look all that bad to me. Here's what I would do:

Figure out how much of the leg you would have to cut off to get back to fairly sound wood. Let's say and inch. Cut one inch off all the legs. Give the cut ends a coat of exterior paint or an external wood sealer to give them a little protection.

Fix the divot on the side with external wood filler. I like WoodEpox but there are many choices as long as it is labeled for external use. When the filler has set, file it flush and sand it smooth.

Get a piece of composite board such as that used for decking. Cut 4 pieces to the size necessary to replace the pieces you cut off. Attach those pieces to the legs using flat head stainless steel screws up from the bottom, countersinking the screws a bit so they won't scrape your patio.

Sand the pieces flush and give the whole bench a nice coat of exterior enamel.

The pieces of composite material will not absorb water and will prevent the wood legs from absorbing water, so you should have no further problems.

 

Perfect! I thought something like this would be the solution, but I'm grateful you outlined all the steps so carefully for me. I think I can do this! Thank you thank you!!