GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Friday, Rashan Gary announced via Instagram that he had been released by the Green Bay Packers.
Or so it seemed.
In a bizarre twist, a source close to Gary said the defensive end had been hacked. The post was taken down.
As you might expect, Packers fans weren’t quite buying it and responded with a deluge of memes and one-liners.
The "hacker" dropped this btw lol https://t.co/unqwxs7Hbk pic.twitter.com/d8yPCr1fcC
— The Brohioan (@TheBrohioan) March 6, 2026
The hacker: pic.twitter.com/NiYQlF30xY
— Mike (@m1kephenix) March 6, 2026
Most athletes and celebrities when they get their social medias hacked see racists posts, or weird out of pocket advertisements...
these hackers wrote a heartfelt good-bye to Green Bay for Gary?
Not buying it.
— In Gard We Trust (@MadisonMessiah) March 6, 2026
And my dog ate my homework too!
— Lambeau West🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@KwaiChangCaine) March 6, 2026
Oh people will buy that, sure https://t.co/knepV39TyP
— Colby Patnode (@CPat11) March 6, 2026
pic.twitter.com/eiEZg0G2it
— Andy Turner (@aturn07) March 6, 2026
gute was in trade talks for him and here he go ruining shit bruh. https://t.co/VssuJvd42T pic.twitter.com/KTBWB62if3
— kay (@softxlumax) March 6, 2026
Hacker was better at penetrating than Gary is
— Da Honolulu Cheese Podcast (@HonoluluCheese) March 6, 2026
Gutey trying to come up with any excuse for a team to still entertain a trade
— Logan Borkowski (@borkowski_logan) March 6, 2026
He would rather get released than traded so he leaked he was getting released
— Ethan Yonke (@EthanYonke) March 6, 2026
There is a small possibility that a PR intern at his Agency tasked with crafting this for his eventual release could have accidentally posted it. pic.twitter.com/Yk3oZQTOkD
— Bruce Pennyworth (@B_Pennyworth) March 6, 2026
“Hacked” pic.twitter.com/AjftViJm60
— Shawn (@SHAWNisms33) March 6, 2026
pic.twitter.com/R4VhTXz1Uq
— what? (@tmsfreon) March 6, 2026
pic.twitter.com/SgLjQTzSSV
— Nate (@NateJ3_2) March 6, 2026
pic.twitter.com/V0vnWI4U72
— Matthew P (@bigmattson) March 6, 2026
Was it the hacker, RGARY10209303?
— R.M. Omizo 大溝 (@OmizoRM) March 6, 2026
pic.twitter.com/yHq1WhIntH
— TJ (@TyJet_) March 6, 2026
He was hacked and they posted a beautiful heartfelt goodbye to his team? 😭 https://t.co/xopukwWsjh
— maeve (@poppyheadthem) March 6, 2026
https://t.co/2FjBV3HwKC pic.twitter.com/U5Uh1HymDD
— PackersHome (@PackersHome) March 6, 2026
“Hacked” https://t.co/FGPncFQNl6 pic.twitter.com/maz8rid2cq
— Blind Butchie. (@11Gunz) March 6, 2026
https://t.co/5psWlysGvs pic.twitter.com/Sj2F89jVY7
— Ryan Burke (@ryanburke24) March 6, 2026
https://t.co/j2b7DCnAly pic.twitter.com/4fXr5ZKEYt
— Brandon Knapp (@BKnappBlogs) March 6, 2026
He’s claiming he was hacked and the post graphic said “-Rashan Bane Gary”
Ain’t nobody refer to this man as “Bane” in years that man has been closer to tubby than “Bane” https://t.co/k8QHjraRgt pic.twitter.com/8fnIPZ5GMC
— TitletownTalks (@TitleTownTalks) March 6, 2026
https://t.co/5pAim8DE74 pic.twitter.com/bm41h5nu2n
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) March 6, 2026
A good bit of packers lore to remember 10 years from now https://t.co/RmAcdyo9qL
— Louisville Enjoyer 🧀 (@VilleFire) March 6, 2026
Giving up on an IG post just like it’s a play!
— Dave Neelsen (@DaveNeelsen) March 6, 2026
Hate when my Instagram gets hacked and the guy posts a long heartfelt sincere goodbye to the city that drafted me https://t.co/AAtGxzlm83
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) March 6, 2026
So I just made a goodbye post for no reason gang. Naw now you gotta go
— vloneshleepn (@vloneshleepn) March 6, 2026
It's more likely that Rashan Gary hacked Bill's account to type this than it is than Rashan fucking Gary was hacked. Not buying it Rashan! https://t.co/pk5XY3sMeV
— Bart Winkler (@BartWinklerShow) March 6, 2026
Coming off a horrendous second half of the 2025 season and with a salary-cap charge of $28.02 million for 2026, the “news” of his “release” wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Gary is set to earn a base salary of $18.0 million for the upcoming season. Along with $800,000 in per-game roster bonuses and a $700,000 workout bonus, Gary is due $19.5 million in cash for 2026.
Releasing him would create almost $11.0 million of cap space; $10,978,862, to be exact, according to OverTheCap.com.
So, what’s the deal with the “hack”?
Well, it could be accurate – though that the hacker would have a “goodbye” graphic all set would be going above and beyond.
There’s no doubt that Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst would rather trade Gary than release him, though that astronomical base salary could make a trade almost impossible without a restructured contract. So, perhaps Gary knows that he is out and jumped the gun on the news.
Gary had 7.5 sacks in the first seven games of 2025 – he led the league through Week 8 – but ended the season with a 10-game streak without a sack. The first six-and-a-half of those games were with Micah Parsons on the field.
With 7.5 sacks, Gary pushed his career total to 46.5. That moved him past Preston Smith (44.0) and into sixth place on the all-time franchise list. Aaron Kampman (54.0) ranks fifth and Tim Harris (55.0) is fourth.
Gary’s time-to-pressure was the slowest of his career, and the run defense was 0.64 yards per carry worse when he was on the field.
“To make a run in the playoffs, we’re going to need more out of everybody, and I think he would tell you the same thing,” then-defensive coordinator Rashan Gary said before the playoff game, when Gary had just one tackle.“Whether that’s pass rush, whether it’s setting edges, whether it’s getting off blocks and making plays, he needs to really take a step as a leader of our team as we get into the playoffs along with the rest of the guys, and I’m looking forward to seeing him do that.”
SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER