Packers staring at a brutal Rashan Gary decision they can no longer ignore

Six games. Zero sacks. Three quarterback hits.

That’s Rashan Gary’s woeful pass-rush record since the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers all the way back in Week 8. Gary is in position to have the breakout season Packers fans have waited years for, but his production is regressing at the worst possible time.

It leaves the Packers with a brutal decision at the end of the season. Even after going all-in to win now by trading for Micah Parsons, the team may need to move on from Gary and find a replacement in the offseason.

Rashan Gary is quickly playing his way out of the Packers’ future plans

A little over two years ago, the Packers handed Gary a four-year, $107.5 million extension, hoping he could take the final step to stardom.

With his cap hit soaring to $25.77 million next season, $28.02 million in 2027, and $31.02 million in 2028, the Packers have a decision to make. Is it time to move on? Doing so before June 1 would cost them $8.49 million in cap space, so they’d likely have to make it a post-June 1 designation to spread out the dead money.

That would create $8.56 million next year but push $8.52 million of dead money onto the 2027 cap.

It’s tough to absorb, but moving on is likely the better option than keeping Gary’s contract on the books without getting the production to back it up.

As the Packers’ No. 1 pass-rusher last season, Gary recorded 7.5 sacks. He produced solid numbers but lacked the consistency of an elite edge defender, especially with the raised expectations of a new contract.

Adding Parsons should’ve changed the game. Gary no longer receives the most attention from opposing offenses. Parsons draws a crowd anytime he takes the field, and teams will do anything to slow him down, even if that means getting away with holding penalties. It gives Gary the luxury of one-on-one opportunities and favorable matchups, but the results aren’t there.

He made a promising start to the season, recording 7.5 sacks in the opening seven games. Even then, there were concerns that Gary wasn’t winning consistently or quickly, but rather cleaning up after Parsons had dismantled the offensive line.

Even so, Gary at least cashed in with sacks. That production has since disappeared.

Worse still, he’s losing snaps to other pass-rushers. Matt LaFleur brushed off those concerns by saying Gary has “never been a huge snap count guy,” but is that truly acceptable for a player on a $107.5 million deal?

Over the past four games, Gary has played 155 snaps, while Kingsley Enagbare has featured on 121. For perspective, Parsons has played 219 in that time. Gary only played one more snap than Enagbare in the win over the Chicago Bears last week.

READ MORE: Mike McCarthy says the quiet part out loud about Packers’ Super Bowl hopes

What will happen when Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox Jr. return to the lineup? Gary’s production is decreasing, and so, too, is his role.

Gary had posted 7.5 sacks by the conclusion of Week 8, the same total he recorded in all of last season. He looked on track to smash his career best of 9.5 and potentially hit double-digits for the first time. But Gary has zero since then, and with only four games to go, he may fail to achieve either milestone.

Sacks are one thing. They don’t always tell the full story. Gary’s lack of consistent pressure is the most glaring concern. Per Pro Football Focus, Gary is winning on just 10.7 percent of his pass-rush snaps, which ranks 68th among all edge defenders. Enagbare is just slightly behind at 73rd, winning on 10.2 percent of his snaps.

Compare that to Parsons, who is winning 23.1 percent of the time despite drawing double and triple teams. Before getting hurt, Van Ness won on 15 percent of his pass-rush snaps.

Gary’s PFF pass-rush grade ranks 76th at the position. That’s nowhere near good enough.

It’s Year 7. Gary is supposed to have reached his potential by now, especially with Parsons dragging attention his way. His failure to step up this season is highlighting an increasing concern.

Gary has four games to go, along with a potential playoff run. That’s it. He could be auditioning for his Packers future.

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