‘Not at all’ – Cowboys trade for Rashan Gary looks even better after Packers GM sets the record straight on deal
The biggest knock on the Dallas Cowboys’ trade for Rashan Gary was just shut down by the Green Bay Packers themselves.
The Dallas Cowboys’ trade for EDGE Rashan Gary remains one of their two biggest moves of the offseason, along with the signing of safety Jalen Thompson in free agency.
And while Gary’s deal was a clear upgrade to the Cowboys’ lineup, many have questioned if they gave up too much for him. Sure, a fourth-round pick for the 2027 NFL Draft isn’t much, but many were evaluating the deal under the understanding that the Green Bay Packers planned to release Gary if they didn’t find a trade partner.
According to Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, however, that was never the case.
Packers didn’t plan to move on from Gary without solid compensation
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Owners Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, Gutekunst was asked if he was surprised at the Cowboys offering a fourth-round draft pick for Gary.
Even though general managers love an opportunity to talk about how much they won in a trade, Gutekunst said no.
“It was tough to part with Rashan because he’s such a good player,” the Packers GM told reporters. “But I think just where we were going as a football team, it made a little bit of sense for us. [. . .] He’s still a pretty young player, probably his best football is still ahead of him. Not at all [surprised]. We weren’t going to move on from him unless we could get something that made sense for us.”
Suddenly, getting confirmation that Gary wasn’t being released makes the deal look much better than it did yesterday. The fact that Gary wasn’t supposed to hit the open market means a trade was the only way for the Cowboys to secure the edge rusher.
Not to mention, a fourth-round pick in 2027 isn’t worth as much as a fourth-round pick for this year. Additionally, by getting him via a trade, the Cowboys received control over Gary’s contract and were able to drop his cap hit by over $14 million in 2026.
Still, the question remains, if the Packers liked Gary, why did they move on? I reached out to our own Wendell Ferreira from A to Z Sports Green Bay for his point of view.
Why Packers made the trade
Ferreira: Rashan Gary had been a starter for the Packers for five years, and he was a fairly productive player — especially early in his starting tenure, after he developed as a raw prospect and established himself as a high-level player.
However, the Packers’ decision to move on from him was based on multiple factors. First, he never lived up to his contract, signed back in 2023, and didn’t become what Green Bay expected out of him — still a useful player, but not good enough. Second, the Packers are spending a lot of money on the edge position with Micah Parsons and potentially Lukas Van Ness getting a fifth-year option for 2027.
Finally, because the effort was not consistent — and Gary failed to step up after Parsons got hurt. It’s understandable why the Packers wanted to move on while acknowledging he still has value for another team, under different circumstances.
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