The Green Bay Packers came into the 2025 season with sky-high expectations - and for good reason. The addition of Micah Parsons gave this defense a jolt of elite talent, and early-season wins over the Lions and Commanders made it clear: this team had the tools to make a serious Super Bowl run.
But as is often the case in the NFL, injuries and underperformance don’t care about potential. The Packers were hit hard.
Parsons, tight end Tucker Kraft, defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, and offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins all suffered season-ending injuries. Key contributors like Zach Tom also missed significant time - Tom sat out six games, including the playoff loss.
And when you're already dealing with a depleted roster, you can't afford for your highest-paid players to fall short. Unfortunately for Green Bay, that’s exactly what happened.
Let’s take a closer look at the contracts that loomed large over the Packers’ 2025 season - and why they’ll be tough to ignore heading into the offseason.
Rashan Gary - DE
2025 Cap Hit: $25.78 million
2025 Total Cash: $17.25 million
This was supposed to be Gary’s breakout year - the one where everything clicked. With Micah Parsons drawing double teams and wreaking havoc, Gary had a golden opportunity to feast.
And for the first seven games, he did just that: 7.5 sacks, 13 QB hits, and seven tackles for loss. He looked like a force.
Then, everything stalled. Over the final nine games of the season, Gary didn’t record a single sack or tackle for loss.
Just seven quarterback hits - and that was it. The production dried up, and so did the impact.
What made it worse was the perception that effort wasn’t always there. When you're carrying the second-highest cap hit on the team - behind only Jordan Love - that’s not just disappointing, it’s unacceptable. With his cap number set to rise over the next two seasons, the Packers are staring down a tough decision: ride it out and hope for a bounce-back, or cut bait and explore trade or release options for the former first-round pick.
Aaron Banks - G
2025 Cap Hit: $9.03 million
2025 Total Cash: $29.4 million
The Packers made a big swing by handing Banks a $77 million deal to shore up the interior offensive line. On paper, it looked like a solid investment in protecting Jordan Love. On the field, it didn’t pan out.
Banks battled injuries early and never found his rhythm. When he was healthy, the play was inconsistent at best. His pass-blocking grade ranked 69th out of 81 guards, and his run-blocking wasn’t much better - 58th in the league.
That’s not the kind of production you expect from one of the highest-paid guards in football. The Packers could move on this offseason and save $4.6 million in cap space, but they’d still be saddled with over $20 million in dead cap. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but sometimes admitting the mistake is better than letting it linger.
Keisean Nixon - CB
2025 Cap Hit: $6.84 million
2025 Total Cash: $4.68 million
Keisean Nixon is a playmaker - no question about it. His game-winning interception against the Bears at Lambeau was a season highlight. But for every splash play, there were too many costly breakdowns.
In Week 16, Nixon gave up the game-tying and game-losing touchdowns - both in crunch time. And in the Wild Card loss, things unraveled.
A 15-yard penalty for diving on a pile, a busted coverage on a pivotal 4th-and-8, and a half-hearted effort on a D’Andre Swift touchdown run that cut the lead to one score. It wasn’t just one mistake - it was a series of them, and they came at the worst possible time.
Nixon was originally brought in to be a difference-maker on special teams, but the Packers elevated him to CB1 in 2025. That experiment didn’t work. Whether it’s a role adjustment or a roster move, something has to give.
Brandon McManus - K
2025 Cap Hit: $3.49 million
2025 Total Cash: $7 million
Special teams are often overlooked - until they cost you games. And for the Packers, that moment came in a stretch that still has fans shaking their heads.
Despite dealing with an injury, McManus continued to kick while backup Lucas Havrisik - who nailed a franchise-record 61-yarder - waited on the sideline. Over those three games, McManus missed four of eight field goals, and the Packers dropped two of those contests by just three points.
Once he got healthy, McManus found his groove and didn’t miss a kick over the final seven games of the regular season. But when the playoffs arrived, the wheels came off again.
He missed both field goal attempts and an extra point in a four-point loss to the Bears. Brutal timing.
On the year, McManus hit just 80% of his field goals in the regular season and went 3-for-6 in the postseason. That’s not going to cut it - especially in games where every point counts.
The Bottom Line
The Packers had the talent to make a deep playoff push. But injuries and underperformance from some of their highest-paid players dragged the team down when it mattered most. As the offseason begins, Green Bay’s front office has some tough financial and roster decisions to make - and they'll need to hit on those calls if they want to turn potential into production in 2026.