The Green Bay Packers have a few excellent building blocks on their roster on both sides of the ball. This is a young team overall that is oozing with potential, but they have to get their feet wet first before realizing it.
On defense, edge rusher Rashan Gary was recently named the team’s best building block heading into 2023 and it is hard to argue against that. Before an ACL injury ended his season in 2022, Gary was top-10 in the NFL in multiple stats, including sacks.
The injury came at an unfortunate time as the Packers didn’t have anyone ready and able to step into the lineup in his place. The pass rush was anemic without him, as he ended the season second on the team in sacks, with only Preston Smith recording more.
That level of production, while still on a rookie contract, is partly why Gary was named the team’s most underpaid player on the Packers by Mike Santa Barbara of Yardbarker. Despite the injury setback, Gary has provided excellent value on his deal.
“He carries a $10.8M cap hit in 2023, so he’s making a lot of coin. However, entering the final year of his rookie deal, Gary is due a raise, and potentially a hefty one, especially with fellow 2019 first-round defensive linemen Nick Bosa, Brian Burns and Montez Sweat also coming up on new deals.
Gary is coming off a torn ACL suffered nine games into the 2022 campaign, which might give some pause about agreeing to a long-term deal. However, after posting 15.5 sacks and 79 tackles over the last two seasons, locking Gary up seems like a no-brainer for Green Bay.”
That ACL injury is the only reason Gary likely doesn’t have a contract extension already. He has shown just how talented and productive he could be, as he was trending toward a Pro Bowl nomination with his production in the first nine games of the season.
If he can showcase that he is healthy and capable of producing at the same level in which he was, Green Bay will make him a very strong offer. Locking him into a deal without having to compete with other teams on the free agent market should be the Packers’ goal with Gary.
Pass rushers are worth a ton around the league. If someone the caliber of Gary were to hit the open market, you can be sure that he would receive some massive offer sheets. While he may not be regarded on the same level as the players that Barbara mentioned, Gary has made strides each season in the NFL and is trending toward becoming a double-digit sack per season player.