Rashan Gary's contract proves he needs a bounce-back season to remain a Packer in 2026

As primarily a draft and development program, the Green Bay Packers are always ready to reward their success stories with long-term contracts, but at times the recipients of those deals can fail to live up to it, whether that is due to injury or their production slowing down as they approach 30.

This can lead to difficult decisions once there is cap space to be saved by getting out of certain contracts that are attached to players who have been an important part of the team in previous years.

Rashan Gary is a player whose status on the roster could be uncertain after the 2025 season, depending on how this year plays out.

In 2026, Gary will be entering his age 29 season, and the Packers can save almost $11 million with a pre-June 1st release, or $19.5 million with a post-June 1st release. He is clearly an important player for Green Bay as their best pass rusher, but had a relatively quiet 2024 season.

His PFF pass-rush grade has declined in each of the last three seasons, with an ACL tear playing no small part. He was in the middle of a career year when he suffered the injury, ranking 11th in the NFL in pass rush win rate in 2022. He fell to 21st in the league in 2023 and then plummeted to 48th last year, his lowest rank since his rookie year.

It is worth noting he has become a much more solid run defender since defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley took over, which matters. He had career highs in run stops (33) and tackles (31) last season, and his lowest missed tackle percentage (8.7%) of the last three seasons.

He could well have a resurgent season in his second year in Hafley's system. Having a consistent disruptor across from him would also help.

Gary's peak seasons from a pass rush win rate perspective were 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he had the benefit of Preston Smith and Whitney Mercilus also ranking in the top 25 for win rate, while in 2022, Kingsley Enagbare ranked 45th.

The production from Gary's top running mate in 2023 and 2024? Smith at 67 and Lukas Van Ness at 78. Whether or not this improves in 2025 is dependent on the development of Van Ness in his third year.

The bottom line is that Gary was PFF's 28th overall graded EDGE defender in 2024, and at present is set to have the seventh-highest cap hit among pass rushers in 2026. That is not sustainable.

Gary is still young enough that with a strong season, he could earn a third contract in Green Bay, which they are often reluctant to hand out. But if he repeats last season's production, or even fails to match it, this could be his final year with the Packers.

At this point it feels unlikely he plays on his slated salary of $28 million in 2026. If he plays well this year, Green Bay could act quickly and extend his contract a year early, lowering his cap hit for 2026. If he underwhelms this season, he probably will not be on the team in 2026 to earn that salary.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers' Rashan Gary needs bounce-back season to stay in GB in 2026

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Rashan Gary's contract proves he needs a bounce-back season to remain a Packer in 2026

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