All signs suggest the Green Bay Packers were ready to get out of the Rashan Gary business to save money in the short term. Then, the Dallas Cowboys gave up real draft capital to acquire him in an eleventh-hour trade.
Everything about Gary landing in Dallas is poetic. However, he was widely considered a cap casualty, even announcing his unceremonious exit prematurely. The fact that the Packers got anything in return for him, let alone a 2027 fourth-round pick, was — and frankly still is — shocking.
Was anyone bidding against the Cowboys, or did they not want Gary to hit free agency, where he could've explored other options? Either way, the Packers did quite well in their swap with Dallas (again), as Mike Sando of The Athletic highlighted.
Sending Gary to the Cowboys in March was Sando's "favorite" move ($) the Packers made this offseason.
"The price [the Cowboys] paid for Gary was not steep, but it was something for the Packers in an offseason mostly about future flexibility," Sando wrote.
Packers managed to make the Rashan Gary situation look like a massive victory
Unless they improbably hit on a franchise cornerstone, a future Day 3 selection won't make or break the Cowboys or Packers. But that's not the point; Green Bay was prepared to cut its losses on Gary and instead got more ammunition and shed salary.
It's hard to chalk parting ways with Gary as a total victory for Green Bay. He did ultimately fall out of favor a couple of seasons after signing a four-year, $96 million contract extension. Nevertheless, winning around the margins counts too and helps put the franchise in a better position moving forward.
Green Bay was probably looking for literally anything to take Gary off their hands, considering they appeared comfortable releasing him if no suitor emerged. How the situation evolved into the swap with the Cowboys remains unclear, though Packers fans won't ask questions.
Gary was a distressed asset for Green Bay. Yet, as the saying goes, one man's trash is another's treasure, and Dallas evidently believes Gary can bounce back with a change of scenery.
There's a scenario in which Gary returns to his Pro Bowl-level form and Green Bay's decision to move on ages poorly. The veteran defensive lineman's been one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL since becoming a starter in 2021, ranking 19th in sacks.
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