It’s not going to be cheap, but given the way he’s played since coming back from the ACL injury that ended his season in Week 9 and given the relative lack of other options on hand, we’re on a collision course that ends with edge rusher Rashan Gary re-signed to a giant contract extension from the Packers.
If it does not happen, one team insider wrote—only sorta kiddingly—GM Brian Gutekunst should be fired.
“If the Packers don’t extend Gary and instead lose him in free agency, Gutekunst should lose his job,” Matt Schneidman of The Athletic wrote in his mailbag this week. “Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but I don’t think it’s too far off from reality.”
Gary easily is the Packers’ best pass-rusher and the team’s best defensive player. It could be argued, too, that he is the best player on the team overall, at least on par with running back Aaron Jones. At Pro Football Focus, Gary has a season grade so far of 84.4, which does rank as the top grade on the Packers.
He has been working on an extension with the Packers, and has said he is open to signing one during the season. There have been no ultimatums or anything—Gary has said he’d be willing to wait until after the season. He is currently playing on his fifth-year option (at $10.9 million), and did not enter the season with a new deal largely because of the injury.
Packers Rashan Gary Extension: $130 Million?
It is unclear how far Gary and the Packers are willing to go on an extension. Certainly, the way he’s played after having the ACL surgery—even as he has been brought along slowly on a snap count—has put to rest any fears that the injury will linger long-term, and has strengthened his position. Nick Bosa of the 49ers set a record last month signing a five-year, $170 million contract after a lengthy holdout, and Gary is not quite going to get to that level.
But if he insists on getting five years from the Packers, the number likely will run around $130 million. Spotrac has Gary with a market valuation of $26 million, and if that form holds, he will be among the best-paid defenders in the game.
As for any progress on a potential Gary deal, things have been quiet. Gary’s agent, Ian Clarke, told Schneidman earlier this season that he would be open to talking about a new deal even as the season progresses, though Gary himself has mostly dodged the topic, at least publicly.
“Our plan is to operate professionally and remain open to reasonable contract offers in every phase of his career,” Clarke told Schneidman.
Rashan Gary is entering the fifth season of his rookie deal and hasn’t been extended yet. Asked his agent, Ian Clarke, if Gary is willing to negotiate in season:
“Our plan is to operate professionally and remain open to reasonable contract offers in every phase of his career.”
History Says GM Will Pay Rashan Gary
As for Gutekunst, he has a history in cases like that of Gary, and that history suggests a deal will get done. Kenny Clark, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, got a four-year, $70 million deal in 2020.
Last year, Jaire Alexander, the team’s first-round pick in 2018, got a four-year, $84 million contract that made him the league’s highest paid cornerback. Gary was a first-round pick in 2019, and though the knee injury was a monkey wrench, there’s a pattern here—the Packers will pay him.
Certainly, they won’t trade him.
Wrote Schneidman: “Gary is the Packers’ best defensive player and the only semblance of a pass rush worth a damn. No matter how far away the defense is from being dominant or how much you’re rebuilding this year, that doesn’t mean you just get rid of a 25-year-old elite player in the heart of his prime for some juicy draft capital.
“There’s no guarantee the Packers will find another player like Gary in their next decade of drafts.”
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Packers GM ‘Should Lose His Job’ if Rashan Gary Isn’t Re-Signed: Insider