The Green Bay Packers made an aggressive decision earlier this offseason to trade pass rusher Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
Granted, there is no one who could argue that Gary has lived up to be the hype of being a first-round pick. He has shown flashes of big-time potential, but has had far too many moments of completely disappearing and being a disappointment during his time with the Packers.
That being said, there are questions surrounding Green Bay’s pass rush currently.
Micah Parsons is expected to be out until at least mid-October as he continues recovering from a torn ACL. Behind him, the Packers are going to be relying on Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox Jr., Dani Dennis-Sutton, Collin Oliver, and Barryn Sorrell to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
While there is a lot of talent in that group of names, there are no proven elite pass rushers. That has left some wondering whether or not Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay front office could look to sign a veteran pass rusher before the regular season arrives.
Packers Continue Being Linked to 66.5-Sack Pass Rusher
All offseason long, the idea of the Packers signing former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney has been thrown around in the rumor mill. Once again, his name has been brought up in connection to Green Bay.
FanSided’s Wynston Wilcox believes that Green Bay should sign Clowney to replace Gary.
“The Packers have been moving off cap space this offseason and Rashan Gary was one of those pieces on the move. As a result, a veteran free agent is likely the move and Jadeveon Clowney isn’t a bad option at all. Clowney has hopped around the NFL quite a bit the last few years,” Wilcox wrote.
“It would be a good move to add Clowney to pair with Parsons. When Clowney was paired with an elite pass rusher in Myles Garrett in Cleveland for two seasons, he compiled 11 sacks in 26 games. He had 8.5 sacks in 13 games in Dallas in 2025. The Packers could get immediate help in their pass rush while also giving them a defense worth something. They can’t pass that up.”
At the end of the day, the Packers are facing a championship or bust season in 2026. They cannot allow the lack of a legitimate pass rush early in the year derail them from that goal. Signing Clowney would help fix the problem.
What Would Jadeveon Clowney Bring to Green Bay’s Defense?
Last season, Clowney showed that he still has some good football left in the tank. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to help fill the void left by the Parsons trade.
Clowney ended up playing in 13 games for the Cowboys, racking up 41 total tackles to go along with 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and four defended passes.
Even at 33 years old, Clowney is capable of making a big impact. He could still be a starter across from Parsons when the superstar returns to the field.
It will be interesting to see if Green Bay brings in a veteran pass rusher. Should the Packers look to do that, Clowney would be the best option in free agency.
Packers Continue Being Connected to Potential Rashan Gary Replacement