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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 07: Lukas Van Ness #90 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a third quarter sack against the Detroit Lions during the game at Lambeau Field on September 07, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers are coming up on the deadline for a major financial decision on a former first-round pick who has never quite panned out, and it’s an extra crucial call given the team’s current draft and salary cap considerations.
Green Bay doesn’t have a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027 after spending them both to acquire edge-rusher Micah Parsons — a move that panned out after he earned first-team All-Pro honors and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, even despite missing the final three games of the season due to a torn ACL in Week 15.
But because the Packers’ draft stores are temporarily depleted, how the team handles the resources at its disposal in free agency and via players already on the roster is of even more vital importance.
That brings us to the case of 2023 first-round pick (No. 13 overall) Lukas Van Ness. Green Bay must decide by May 1 whether to pick up its fifth-year option on the pass-rusher for the 2027 season. The Packers have the option due to his status as a former first-rounder, but doing so will cost the team nearly $15 million in salary.
Lukas Van Ness Has Not Lived Up to Draft Position, but Still Retains Promise
Lukas Van Ness
GettyPass-rusher Lukas Van Ness of the Green Bay Packers.
Van Ness has appeared in 43 games, though started just two of them, serving primarily as a situational pass-rusher.
An edge-rusher who can also make some hay lining up on the inside, which Van Ness has shown in flashes, is typically the type of player a team wants to keep around. But Van Ness battled injuries last season that cost him eight games. Beyond that, he has tallied only 8.5 sacks in his NFL career, with his totals declining from 4.0 in his rookie year with each passing campaign.
He tallied 23 pressures and seven quarterback hits across 151 pass-rush snaps in 2025, which equates to a pressure on more than 15 percent of his opportunities. That is solid efficiency, which could translate to big numbers if he can remain healthy and get on the field more frequently.
Beyond that, playing alongside Parsons longterm will create more favorable matchups for Van Ness, which should also boost his production.
The Packers must also consider with whom they might replace Van Ness in 2027 were they not to exercise their fifth-year option and allow him to hit free agency 13 months from now, as well as how much that new player might cost in terms of contract salary or draft capital.
Rashan Gary Will Factor Into Packers’ Decision on Lukas Van Ness
Rashan Gary, Packers
GettyPass-rusher Rashan Gary of the Green Bay Packers.
The element of Rashan Gary’s presence on the roster and what Green Bay might see as his future is also a major factor in the Van Ness decision.
Gary, 28, is heading into the third season of a four-year deal worth $96 million total. Cutting him will free up significant salary cap space in each of the next two years, which can help the Packers address what was a below-average offensive line in 2025 and other areas of need.
“Another cut candidate is defensive end Rashan Gary, who has a 2026 base salary of $18 million,” Matt Schneidman of The Athletic wrote February 16. “Cutting him after he went missing in the second half of the season would free up about $11 million in cap space.”
Axing Gary would also free up $22.5 million in 2027, when the Packers will also be absent a first-round pick.
Green Bay may do better to hold onto Gary given his relatively consistent output season-to-season, albeit underwhelming considering his contract value, and attempting to trade the edge-rusher instead. The Packers could even keep him through the mid-season deadline, as he might prove an important contributor to the defense as Parsons works his way back from his injury.
If Gary can put up strong production in the first half of the campaign, the Packers should be able to offload him in exchange for a meaningful draft pick.
Regardless, if Green Bay plans to deal/cut Gary on any timeline, then holding onto Van Ness for an extra year makes more sense rather than ditching the Nos. 2 and 3 pass-rushers on the roster within one year of each other without known/quality options to replace them.