Even though the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 season was derailed due to key injuries, the season provided plenty of future roster clarity for general manager Brian Gutekunst as a whole.
The Packers have had one of the best and most well-constructed rosters in the league, but obviously haven’t been able to get where they want in the playoffs in the Jordan Love era. We’ve already seen Gutekunst be extremely aggressive, more than anyone had really been used to seeing from the Packers, both in free agency and on the trade front.
And even with injuries playing their role, there will be roster casualties for the way things ended in 2025. There are a handful of players that Gutekunst simply can’t keep for 2026. He has to move on.
Rashan Gary tops 3 players the Packers absolutely must move on from in 2026
1. Rashan Gary, EDGE
Rashan Gary is about to enter his age-29 season with the Packers, and the 2019 first-round pick out of Michigan was simply too big of a disappointment in 2025 to ignore. Even with 20 QB hits and 7.5 sacks on the season, Gary did not record a single sack from November through the end of the season.
For a player who is about to count over $28 million against next year’s cap, you’d better believe the time to move on is right now. And unfortunately for Gutekunst and the Packers, the return isn’t going to be phenomenal. There will be plenty of teams interested in trading for Gary, but only as a short-term chance.
If the Packers were able to get a fourth-round pick for Gary, maybe even multiple Day 3 picks, it would be a win. If they could get a third-rounder from someone? That would be a masterclass on the part of Gutekunst. Either way, the Packers have to move on and reset that unit a little bit alongside Micah Parsons.
2. Nate Hobbs, CB
The Packers are going to really need to address the cornerback position significantly this offseason. Not that we really had any chance to enjoy having him around, but Trevon Diggs’s cup of coffee with the team was more like a shot of espresso. The departure of Jeff Hafley, who is now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, creates an even bigger hole in the secondary.
The cornerback position was already a question mark for this team, but having Nate Hobbs count $13.05 million against the salary cap (eighth-highest number on the team) is not ideal. Hobbs played 11 games in his first year with the Packers, had a missed tackle rate of 10 percent, and a QB rating allowed in coverage of 111.1. His 11.5 yards per completion allowed this season was the worst number so far in his pro career.
There’s simply no way the Packers can justify giving Hobbs a starting role next year, unless it’s strictly from the slot. Even then, he had just two passes broken up this past season and wasn’t worth the $48 million deal the Packers gave him at all.
3. Rasheed Walker, OT
The Packers have another couple of former high draft choices waiting in the wings to help solidify the offensive line (they hope) moving forward. Jordan Morgan (first-rounder) and Anthony Belton (second-rounder) should be expected to take massive leaps in their overall game after this season, even if there’s inherent risk involved in that.
Rasheed Walker is slated to hit free agency, and could make more money on the open market than any other Packers player set to hit the market. And with the way things ended this past season, Packers fans might not be overly sad to see him go.
Walker has been a steal of a seventh-rounder for this Green Bay front office, but obviously, when you are a prospective free agent and are having obvious struggles on the field, a fan base is going to turn on you pretty quickly.
According to PFF, Walker allowed a combined nine pressures in the final two games, with two costly penalties in the playoff defeat to Chicago. He also earned run-blocking grades well below 50 in those contests.
Especially given his likely price point, there’s no justification for bringing Walker back.
