On Friday, Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Rashan Gary posted a goodbye message to Packers fans on Instagram and Twitter, which is not uncommon around this time of year. Gary is one of the few ways the Packers can create some easy cap space in 2026 without having to borrow from the future, as he’s due a $18 million salary for the upcoming season after being one of the worst pressure players in the NFL in 2025.
Here was Gary’s full statement:
When I got the call in 2019, it was one of the greatest moments
of my life, and it always will be.
The opportunity to represent Green Bay and Packers Nation across the country and around the world is something I will never forget.
Like all chapters in life, this one has come to an end.
I want to thank everyone who supported me and my family throughout the years. The love, the energy, and the memories mean more than words can explain.
On to my next stop — nowhere near done yet. All 6’5”, 275…can’t wait.
So, Gary says he’s gone. He’s gone, right? Well, not so fast.
According to the Packers’ beat, the story now is that Gary was hacked (on both Instagram and Twitter at the same time). Some on the beat, though, aren’t fully buying the story.
Here’s why the timing of this is interesting. Yesterday, the Packers got under the salary cap, meaning they don’t have to make any moves until at least after the NFL draft (maybe longer), if they don’t want to. Green Bay also likes to protect its compensatory draft picks, which could be as high as two third-round picks and two fourth-round picks if they sit out free agency this cycle.
On paper, the team can sit pat for months. There are no mechanics that prevent the team from holding onto Gary (or center Elgton Jenkins, another potential cap casualty) only to release them on a later date, since neither player has remaining roster bonuses in their contracts. This is all to say: The team doesn’t have to make any further commitments to Gary or Jenkins until they either 1) step on a Packers’ practice field, when injury would become a factor for Green Bay, or 2) Week 1 of the regular season, when vested veterans’ non-guaranteed salary then becomes guaranteed for the year.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Xavier McKinney restructure, which got the Packers under the cap going into the new league on March 11th, is less of a move to create cap space for free agency (Green Bay should only have around $5 million in space right now) and is more of a move to avoid pressures to make early decisions on Gary or Jenkins, if they don’t want to decide on those players right now.
Last offseason, the Packers waited until mid-June to decide to move off of cornerback Jaire Alexander, well after the majority of the free agent money dried up. I’m sure that Gary and Jenkins want to avoid the same fate, but there’s only so much they can do about it if Green Bay is holding out for the hope that better trade offers manifest when free agent options become more limited for teams as the offseason progresses or that these players will return on cheaper salaries for 2026.
I’m not certain that Gary put some social pressure on the team to make an early decision, only to call it a “hack,” but the timing of the last two days does make what happened on multiple social media accounts (with a graphic to go along with it) interesting.
The reality of the situation hasn’t changed, though. Nothing is stopping the Packers from squatting on Gary and Jenkins.
Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst has been adamant that all players under contract for 2026 are “expected” to be back for the upcoming season, the same verbiage he used with Alexander in 2025, when the team attempted to get him to restructure his deal and then finally announced his release in mid-June. ESPN’s Adam Schefter made the following statement today: “Packers edge Rashan Gary has not been released at this time. No definitive action has been taken. All options still remain on the table, including a potential trade.”
Buckle up. Jaire Watch 2.0 (and maybe Jaire Watch 3.0) is starting to bubble.
