In 2019, Rashan Gary arrived at Lambeau Field with the hopes of being one of the best pass-rushers in the game. He possessed the physical traits and potential to be worth the No. 12 selection out of Michigan, but injuries and inconsistency have stalled his development.
That didn't stop the Packers from giving him a four-year, $96 million extension in 2023. Even with the injuries, Gary had superstar potential and seemed to be worth the risk. Fast forward to today, and that's not necessarily the case.
Gary's name has been floated as a potential — and rather logical — salary cap casualty this offseason. With that in mind, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst may have given fans some hope with his signature use of reverse psychology.
"He was impactful towards the second half of the season. 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," Gutekunst said, per Packers Wire's Zach Kruse.
Brian Gutekunst Might Be Using Reverse Psychology with Rashan Gary Situation
For those who aren't keeping tabs, that's essentially the same thing he said about Aaron Jones shortly before the team let him go. The Packers moved on from their star running back once there was no guaranteed money left on his contract, replacing him with a younger, better player like Josh Jacobs.
As things stand now, the Packers are $1.58 million over the salary cap, according to OverTheCap. Gary's $28.02 million cap hit is the second-highest on the team behind only quarterback Jordan Love, and he hasn't necessarily justified that type of financial commitment on the field.
Cutting or releasing Gary before June 1 would give head coach Matt LaFleur's team an additional $10.97 million in cap space. Doing so with a post-June 1 designation would bring that number to $19.5 million. Finally, restructuring his contract would free up $8.7 million, although that possibility seems less likely.
Gary closed out the season on a terrible note after hitting the ground running in his first seven games with Micah Parsons. He had 7.5 sacks in the first seven games and zero after that, finishing the campaign with 45 total tackles, 20 QB hits, and seven tackles for loss.
The Packers still owe Gary a combined $42 million for the next couple of years, and with Parsons there and Lukas Van Ness potentially breaking out under Jonathan Gannon, there aren't many incentives — both financial or football-wise — to keep him in town for much longer. Hopefully, Gutekunst is just taking a page out of his own book when it comes to parting ways with his players.