Rashan Gary’s offseason with the Green Bay Packers started on a tumultuous note. On Friday, a heartfelt message appeared on his Instagram account, seemingly bidding farewell to Green Bay amid speculation that the Packers were about to release him. He later deleted the post, and ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that Gary’s account had been hacked.
However, the situation took a definitive turn on Monday, when the Packers traded Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Trade: the Green Bay Packers are finalizing a deal that would send DT Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a late-round 2027 draft pick, per ESPN sources. pic.twitter.com/1s2qXSvFeu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2026
Nothing like checking Instagram and seeing your account “hacked” … only for the hacker to write a tearful goodbye to the organization that drafted you. I’m not buying it. Gary likely just got ahead of himself while the Packers explored trade options.
Rashan trying to get his phone back pic.twitter.com/kEviwXvtpb
— Tyler (@TylerHerrick) March 6, 2026
From a production and cap standpoint, moving on makes sense. But there’s a downside, and whether it hurts depends entirely on Micah Parsons’s health once September starts.
Parsons tore his ACL in mid-December and has vowed to return by Week 1. That timeline might be overly optimistic, though there’s still a chance he could be back in September. Even if he does, the depth behind him is unproven. Remove Rashan Gary from the equation, and Green Bay’s situation doesn’t exactly get any better.
Lukas Van Ness had a strong start to last season, but injuries derailed his development. Meanwhile, Barryn Sorrell started just one game, and Collin Oliver only appeared in Green Bay’s Week 18 regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.
So, assuming Parsons starts the season on PUP, Green Bay’s edge-rusher group would be made up of Van Ness – entering Year 4 but still unproven as a starter – and two second-year players with limited game experience.
I don’t think the Packers should pursue an edge rusher in free agency, making the draft the most viable option. Still, how much draft capital are they willing to commit to the position after already spending two first-round picks on Parsons, another on Van Ness, and two Day 3 picks on Oliver and Sorrell?
I’m not saying the Packers should have held on to Rashan Gary forever. As I mentioned, his production hasn’t fully matched the value the organization has invested in him. But my thought is that it could have been valuable to keep him at least until Parsons returns.
“He was impactful towards the second half of the season,” Brian Gutekunst said about Gary during his press conference at the NFL Combine. “Rashan has all the talent in the world. And he’s produced at a high level for us since he’s been here. We would expect that next year as well.”
Gutey is right – up to a point. While Rashan Gary didn’t record a sack after Week 8, he remained one of the most reliable players in Green Bay’s front seven when it came to setting the edge and containing the run. He earned the highest run-defense grade among all members of Green Bay’s front seven, and his 17 stops were second-most among the team’s edge defenders.
It was time for both sides to move on. Gutekunst will need to be ready to bring in new faces and find an edge rusher who can set the edge effectively – and be ready to start in Week 1 if Parsons isn’t able to go.