The Green Bay Packers will have difficult decisions to make this offseason to get in a better salary cap situation for 2026. One of the biggest will be with edge rusher Rashan Gary.
The veteran edge rusher still has two years remaining on his Packers contract. However, he will have a $28 million cap hit for the 2026 campaign.
Gary’s cap hit will then increase to $31 million for the 2027 season.
If the Packers release Gary this offseason, they will save roughly $11 million against the cap. But Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst seemed to suggested in his post-season press conference Wednesday that Gary will be on the team’s roster next fall.
“I expect all these guys that are under contract to be back, but we’re just getting started at looking at home we’re building out the team for next year,” said Gutekunst.
The Packers general manager also specifically addressed Gary, seemingly implying the edge rusher will return.
What Brian Gutekunst Said on Packers’ Rashan Gary
Based on the way Gary started the 2025 season, it would be shocking to see the Packers part with the edge rusher this offseason. In the first seven games last season, Gary posted 7.5 sacks with 13 quarterback hits.
The end of the 2025 campaign, though, was a different story. In the team’s final 10 games, including the playoffs, Gary had zero sacks and no tackles for loss.
He was still getting to the quarterback at times. Gary had eight quarterback hits in the final 10 games. But no impactful plays.
“I thought he started out really, really strong,” Gutekunst said on Gary. “He obviously had a lot of production early. I think he ended up with 60-some pressures, 7.5 sacks. That’s pretty good production in the National Football League.
Unsurprisingly, the Packers general manager wants to see Gary show more statistical consistency.
During Gary’s hot start, the Packers were 5-1-1. Afterwards, the team posted a 4-5 record.
In the playoffs, the Packers blew an 18-point lead in a heartbreaking wild card loss.
“I did think towards the end of the year, he wasn’t as productive as he was at the beginning,” Gutekunst added. “So, certainly, that will be something I’m sure he looks at personally and we look at as a team, how we can continue to make sure that his production is the same at the beginning and the end of the season.”
Did Gutekunst Give Clue on Gary’s Future?
Pundits who take Guntekunst at his word don’t have to do any interpreting of the general manager’s comments on Gary. Again, the Packers GM clearly stated he expects the team’s players who are under contract to be back.
But if there is any remaining doubt, Guntekunst’s remarks on how he wants Gary to show more consistency in 2026 was a potential clue.
That’s what Packers on SI’s Bill Huber argued Wednesday.
“That sentence would seem to suggest Gary could be in the plans. Talking about getting his production back on track is much more than a generic wanting everybody back who is under contract,” wrote Huber.
Gary’s 2025 finish doesn’t justify his next season’s cap hit. But there’s more to deciding the edge rusher’s future in Green Bay than just his cap number.
“The finances and production suggest the Packers will not bring back Gary,” continued Huber. “But the uncertainty at defensive end with Parsons’ torn ACL and Kingsley Enagbare’s free agency could complicate the decision.”
In 106 career NFL games, Gary has posted 46.5 sacks. He’s also registered 46 tackles for loss, 111 quarterback hits, seven forced fumbles and six pass defenses.
Gary reached a career-best 9.5 sacks during the 2021 campaign.
Packers GM Speaks out on Rashan Gary’s Future Ahead of 2026 NFL Free Agency