Packers complete trade that arguably should have happened a year ago, and Rashan Gary’s future finally becomes clear
Gary is gone after all.
After days of indecision, Rashan Gary’s future is finally clear. Right before the start of the two-day negotiating period, the Green Bay Packers have traded Gary to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2027 fourth-round pick. In Dallas, Gary reunites with defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Ultimately, the action of a hacker or not, the farewell post was correct.
A trade that should’ve happened in 2025
Rashan Gary should have been a Cowboy last year. When it was announced that the Packers had sent Dallas a player in the Micah Parsons trade, the wide expectation was that it would be Gary. Seven months later, it finally happened.
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.
Financial ramifications
Gary was 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. Because it’s a trade, the Packers can’t exercise a post-June 1 designation, so everything left hits the cap immediately.
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.
A mid-round pick is a great deal based on the circumstances, and obviously better than just releasing Gary — especially because the Packers need as much draft capital as possible after trading two first-rounders for Parsons as a 2027 sixth-rounder for Darian Kinnard.
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