The financial ramifications of the Packers’ decision to move on from Rashan Gary
Edge defender could be out after seven seasons.
Actions speak louder than words. A week after saying that the Green Bay Packers expected to have Rashan Gary back in 2026, it seems like general manager Brian Gutekunst decided it was time to move on from the former first-round pick — the time was probably taken so the Packers tried to get a paycut done. On Instagram, Gary announced that his time in Green Bay is over.
Since this article was published, Gary has deleted the post. Maybe the Packers are still trying to trade him, but the indications are that his future will be elsewhere.
Well, at least that’s the case if Gary’s post is legit. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that the player’s account was hacked.
Why the Packers potentially decided to move on from Gary
Gary has been a useful player, but his recent level of performance didn’t justify his price tag. The edge rusher was set to make $19.5 million in 2026, with a $28.021 million cap hit. Moving on from him, the Packers have a $17.042 million dead money, but open $10.978 million of cap room in 2026 and $31.021 million in 2027. Those numbers work both for a release or an eventual trade.
Theoretically, the Packers could have opened some cap room by restructuring him, but that would make the situation in 2027 even more complicated. The Packers took the long-term approach.
Last season, Gary had 7.5 sacks in the first seven games of the year playing alongside Micah Parsons, but zero sacks in the final nine games — he didn’t play the regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. He didn’t have any sacks against the Chicago Bears in the playoff either. Overall, Gary generated 54 pressures in 2025, more than his 47 in 2024 but well behind his career-high 81 in 2021.
And that’s the problem. When the Packers took Rashan Gary in the draft back in 2019, it was expected that he would take time to develop. After a breakout season in 2021, the expectation was high — and it kept this way when he had a strong return from a serious knee injury. However, Gary plateaued and hasn’t taken another big step forward even playing as a secondary rusher.
The move would actually bring some risk
It makes a lot of sense for the Packers to move on from Rashan Gary, but the move doesn’t come without risks. Now, the starters are Micah Parsons and Lukas Van Ness. Parsons is coming back from an ACL injury and could miss the first month of the season, while Van Ness is entering a contract year — however, Gary’s release is a strong indication that the Packers will exercise Van Ness’ fifth-year option for 2027.
With Kingsley Enagbare set to hit free agency, the only backups are now 2025 mid-round picks Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver.
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