The Green Bay Packers are going to have a tough time justifying any decision to keep pass-rusher Rashan Gary on the roster through the final two years of his contract in 2026 and 2027, but there could be an out via a trade within the NFC North Division.
The Chicago Bears need another edge defender to pair with Montez Sweat, but their options for acquiring one via the NFL draft or free agency aren’t ideal.
Gary has two years remaining on his $96 million contract, which carries base salaries of $18 million and $21 million in the next two seasons, respectively.
He will cost Green Bay $28 million against the cap season, but the Bears would have to pay just $18 million. Gary would be $10 million cheaper for Chicago in 2027 ($21 million total) than he would be for the Packers ($31 million).
Packers May Need to Cut Rashan Gary if They Can’t Find Trade Partner
GettyOutside linebacker Rashan Gary of the Green Bay Packers.
Just by sheer cap numbers, the Bears would get more financial value out of Gary than Green Bay. However, if the Packers cut him, Chicago could pursue Gary on a cheaper contract. The flip side, of course, is that competing NFL teams could do the same.
Thus, it might behoove the Bears to offer the Packers a fourth-round pick (No. 129 in 2026) or a pair of Day-3 selections in 2026 and 2027 for Gary — similar to the trade packages for defensive end Za’Darius Smith over the past few years — rather than ignore the opportunity and watch Green Bay release him for nothing.
The Packers may ultimately decide to do so, per Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report, who dubbed Gary the team’s top potential cap casualty heading into 2026.
“The huge deal came with the expectation that he would find another gear in his game and continue his ascent at the time,” Ballentine wrote. “Instead, Gary has just leveled out and the Packers made the aggressive move to add Micah Parsons. Gary had 7.5 sacks for the second consecutive season. That’s just not good enough for a player getting that kind of compensation. Finding a trade partner for Gary would be ideal.”
Cutting or trading Gary with a post-June 1 designation clears $19.5 million in space for Green Bay in 2026 and $22.5 million in 2027.
Trade With Packers for Rashan Gary May Prove Safer Bet for Bears Than Signing Free Agent Like Trey Hendrickson
Leaving the Packers hanging might carry some appeal for the Bears, but if the 2026 cost to acquire Gary is just a fourth- or fifth-round pick, making a trade with Green Bay is probably the preferable path forward.
Chicago’s best options in free agency to fill their serious need on the edge are Trey Hendrickson and Jaelan Phillips. Gary, 28, has been considerably healthier and more productive than Phillips in recent years. Meanwhile, Hendrickson is three years older than Gary and missed 10 games with injury last season.
Hendickson has been an elite pass-rusher in recent campaigns, while Gary has been average-to-good depending on the year. Pro Football Focus metrics indicate that Gary was essentially average at the position in 2025, finishing ranked No. 52 out of 115 edge defenders who saw enough snaps to qualify.
However, the stronger salary/contract length commitments Hendrickson can command, plus the significant age gap between he and Gary, arguably render Hendrickson the greater risk to Chicago under the current circumstances.
Spotrac projects Hendrickson to sign a deal worth an annual average salary north of $25 million, while Phillips’ projection is $17 million per season over a three-year contract.
