Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary is shown on the sideline against the Arizona Cardinals. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Grading Packers’ Trade of Rashan Gary to Cowboys

Originally posted on Green Bay Packers on SI
By Bill Huber | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 9:50 AM ET

The Green Bay Packers managed to get something for nothing, so to speak, by trading Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys just before the kickoff of free agency on Monday.

The deal is not final – there might be some contractual things the Cowboys want to get squared away – but Green Bay reportedly will get a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft for the 2024 Pro Bowler. That’s better than nothing, which is what the Packers would have gotten had they released Gary – a decision that would have been equal parts finances and production.

Specifically: It’s a 2027 4th rounder for Gary. https://t.co/zluVs8L7u0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2026

Coming off a Pro Bowl season and following the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade, Gary led the NFL with 7.5 sacks through seven games in 2025. It’s basically what everyone expected, with Gary making big plays as opposing offenses focused on Parsons.

Incredibly, though, he didn’t record another sack the rest of the season. When Parsons went down with a torn ACL at Denver, the Packers badly needed Gary to come to the rescue.

“I’ve just got to be myself,” Gary said a couple days after the Denver game. “You know, when guys are thinking that they need to do more than what they've been doing, you start to strain, start to try to find plays that's not there. And throughout the season, I've been doing a great job of being effective, being myself.

“I know if I keep playing at a high level, keep playing how I'm playing, the plays are going to come and it's going to be right what the team needs.”

Ultimately, it was all talk.

Gary announced via Instagram that he had been released; the post was deleted and a source said Gary had been hacked. A cynical person might believe that was nonsense because trade talks were ongoing.

This article first appeared on Green Bay Packers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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