What Should The Green Bay Packers Do With Rashan Gary?
As the Green Bay Packers navigate the final stretch of the 2025 season and look toward 2026, the front office faces a looming dilemma centered on one of their highest-paid defensive stars. Rashan Gary, once viewed as the cornerstone of the franchise’s pass rush, has become a polarizing figure due to a stark drop in production, creating a complex financial and strategic puzzle for General Manager Brian Gutekunst.
A Tale of Two Seasons For Green Bay Packers Rashan Gary
Gary’s 2025 campaign has been defined by extreme volatility. The former first-round pick began the year on a tear, racking up 7.5 sacks in the first seven games. At that point, he looked well worth the four-year, $96 million extension he signed in October 2023. However, his production has since plummeted.
Following that hot start, Rashan Gary has gone on a prolonged sack drought, failing to bring down a quarterback in over six consecutive games. For a player expected to be a premier edge rusher, this disappearance from the stat sheet is alarming, especially during a stretch where the team desperately needed someone to step up following the season-ending injury to star acquisition Micah Parsons.
The Financial Reality
The dilemma is compounded by the financial implications of Gary’s contract. In 2026, his cap hit is scheduled to balloon to a massive $28 million. For a team always looking to manage its salary cap efficiently, paying elite money for inconsistent production is a difficult pill to swallow.
If the Green Bay Packers decided to move on via trade or release, they could save approximately $11 million in cap space. However, doing so would incur a significant dead money charge, making a clean break financially painful. The front office must weigh whether that $11 million in savings—and the roster spot—could be better utilized elsewhere, or if Gary’s potential ceiling is still worth the investment.
The Depth Chart Problem
Complicating any potential exit strategy is the state of the Packers’ edge rusher room. The unit is currently thin, and the loss of Parsons exposed a lack of consistent threats behind the starters.
Younger players like Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox Jr. have shown flashes but haven’t yet proven they can carry the load of a full-time starter. Cutting ties with Gary would leave a massive void on the edge that would immediately become the team’s top draft or free agency priority. In essence, the Packers might be forced to keep Gary simply because they cannot afford to create another hole on a defense that is already searching for answers.
Coaching Staff Defends the Tape
Despite the fan frustration and the lack of box-score stats, the coaching staff remains in Gary’s corner. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley recently issued a strong defense of the veteran, arguing that the sack numbers don’t tell the full story.
“Rashan is playing the run game way better than he did last year,” Hafley told reporters. He noted that Gary is often facing double teams and chip blocks, which opens up opportunities for teammates, and emphasized that Gary is still generating pressures even if he isn’t finishing plays with sacks. According to Hafley, judging Gary solely on sack totals ignores his broader impact on the game plan.
The Verdict
The upcoming offseason will force the Packers to decide what they value most: consistency and production or potential and flashes of dominance. If Green Bay believes Gary’s dry spell is an anomaly and that he can return to his early-season form, he remains a vital piece of the puzzle. But if they view his inconsistency as a permanent trend, the franchise may have to make a difficult financial decision to reset their defense for 2026.
