The Packers took a big swing last summer, trading away two first-round picks to land All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. For a while, it looked like that gamble might pay off in a big way.
Parsons brought a new level of explosiveness to Green Bay’s defense, and the team looked poised to make a serious postseason run-until disaster struck. Parsons tore his ACL in Week 14, ending his season and, as it turned out, derailing the Packers’ Super Bowl hopes.
Now, after a disappointing Wild Card exit at the hands of the Bears, Green Bay is staring down a pivotal offseason. With no first-round picks in the next two drafts and a roster that still has holes to fill, the front office may be forced to make some tough decisions to reshape the team’s future. One of those decisions could involve veteran edge rusher Rashan Gary.
Gary, who notched 7.5 sacks for the second straight season, is still a valuable piece on the edge. But with Parsons expected to return healthy by early September, Gary suddenly feels more like a luxury than a necessity-especially for a team that’s short on draft capital and tight on cap space.
That’s where the trade rumors start to make sense.
According to reporting from Bill Huber, Gary could be a prime candidate to be moved this offseason. The logic is simple: he’s coming off a quiet finish to the season-no sacks in his final 10 games-and his contract is set to balloon.
His cap hit for 2026 is projected to be just over $28 million, which ranks seventh among edge rushers. If the Packers were to trade him, they’d clear nearly $11 million in cap space by shedding his $18 million base salary.
For a front office trying to reload without the benefit of first-round picks, that kind of flexibility could be critical. Moving Gary could free up the resources to plug multiple roster holes, while also potentially bringing back valuable draft assets-especially if a team believes he can return to his disruptive form with a fresh start.
None of this is to say Gary isn’t still a talented player. He is.
But in today’s NFL, roster-building is as much about timing and value as it is about talent. If the Packers believe Parsons can be the centerpiece of their pass rush moving forward, and if they’re confident they can find complementary pieces through the draft or free agency, then dealing Gary might be the kind of calculated risk that helps them stay competitive in the long run.
It’s a tough call-but one that could define the next phase of Green Bay’s rebuild.