For the past few years, Rashan Gary has been one of the more consistent defensive players in the NFL, an accomplishment made all the more impressive by the fact that he's bounced between linebacker and defensive end on multiple occasions since the Green Bay Packers took him with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
While the Michigan alum can't genuinely be considered a superstar by any stretch of the imagination, he was finally rewarded with his first Pro Bowl selection this past season after racking up 47 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, and 7.5 sacks.
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With those 7.5 sacks, Gary now has 39.0 through his first six seasons in the NFL. And if the 27-year-old can put together a career campaign in that regard in 2025, he can break into the top 10 on the Packers' all-time sack leaderboard.
Rashan Gary needs 12.0 sacks in 2025 to break into the Packers' all-time top 10
While Gary is nowhere near Green Bay's all-time sack leader, that being five-time First-Team All-Pro defensive end Willie Davis, who racked up 99.5 from 1960 to 1969 in helping the Packers to five NFL Championships and the first two Super Bowl titles, he is within striking distance of the top 10.
Here's how the leaderboard currently stacks up.
Rank | Player | Seasons | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Willie Davis | 1960-1969 | 99.5 |
2 | Clay Matthews | 2009-2018 | 83.5 |
3 | Ezra Johnson | 1977-1987 | 82.0 |
4 | Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila | 2000-2008 | 74.5 |
5 | Reggie White | 1993-1998 | 68.5 |
6 | Lionel Aldridge | 1963-1971 | 62.0 |
7 | Henry Jordan | 1959-1969 | 59.5 |
8 | Tim Harris | 1986-1990 | 55.0 |
9 | Aaron Kampman | 2002-2009 | 54.0 |
10 | Clarence Williams | 1970-1977 | 51.0 |
11 | Preston Smith | 2019-2024 | 44.0 |
12 | Mike Butler | 1977-1985 | 41.5 |
13 | Rashan Gary | 2019-2024 | 39.0 |
As you can see, Gary currently sits in the No. 13 position, trailing Mike Butler by just 2.5, Preston Smith by 5.0, and Clarence Williams by 12.0.
Barring injury, Gary shouldn't have any issues surpassing Butler and Smith, as he hasn't had fewer than 6.0 sacks in a season since becoming a full-time starter in 2021. And the only reason he had just 6.0 in 2022 is because he appeared in just nine games before tearing his ACL in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions, which obviously ended his year.
Simple math tells us that Gary needs an even dozen sacks in 2025 to catch 10th-ranked Clarence Williams, who was brought to Green Bay to replace the retired Willie Davis in 1970 and recorded 51.0 sacks for the franchise before being waived ahead of the 1978 season.
As mentioned above, Gary would need a career year to catch and pass Williams, as the most sacks he's recorded in a single season to this point is 9.5 in 2021. He also racked up 9.0 in 2023. One would think he'd have gotten to double digits in 2022, given the pace he was on before his injury, but we'll obviously never know.
It'll take a special season to get to 12.0, especially given the strong offensive lines the Packers will face during the 2025 campaign. But don't be surprised if Gary gets there.