One of the biggest adjustments that the Green Bay Packers have undergone this offseason is reeling in their spending habits. With Aaron Rodgers in the fold and nearing the end of his career, the front office spent big money to try and upgrade the roster to make a run at another Super Bowl.
But, that isn’t how the Packers are used to operating. They normally don’t spend a ton of money and with Rodgers now on the New York Jets, that is how the team is operating once again as they are back near the bottom of the league in money spent.
The low cost is certainly evident on the offensive side of the ball where Green Bay doesn’t have a single wide receiver with more than one season of NFL experience. Aaron Jones is trending toward being the only skill position player not on a rookie contract on the entire offense.
Alas, just because the Packers have adjusted their spending habits, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be doling out money this offseason. In fact, they should be looking to make one more splash this offseason and work out an extension with pass rusher Rashan Gary.
Gary is set to play out the final year of his rookie contract, the fifth-year option that the Packers exercised last year. They seem content to do that given the fact Gary is working his way back from an ACL tear and may not be ready in Week 1. Before handing out a long-term deal, they want to see how healthy he is and if he can return to form.
While that line of thinking does make sense, it would behoove the Packers to work out a long-term deal with the former first-rounder sooner than later. That is because the pass-rushing market is set to explode with some of the pending extensions around the league.
Nick Bosa, Brian Burns, Montez Sweat and Josh Allen are all set for lucrative long-term deals as they are also playing out fifth-year options in 2023. The market has somewhat been set by Alex Highsmith, who agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Based on the projections that Wendell Ferreira shared over at Zone Coverage from Spotract, the Packers are going to be paying Gary a lot of money. That number is only going to go up the longer they wait because if any of the players projected for a smaller contract exceed those numbers, Gary’s price tag is only going to rise as well.
There is certainly a chance that Gary wants to wait on signing an extension, as he was trending toward a Pro Bowl appearance ranking near the top of multiple pass-rushing categories in 2022 before his injury. However, there is some risk on his end as well, especially if it takes some time for him to get back into playing shape.
Working out a long-term extension now could be beneficial for both sides. Gary can lock in a nice guaranteed number, giving himself some insurance in case his knee gives him any more issues. The Packers can likely save some money because of the knee injury but also avoid an exorbitant price tag should Gary pick right up where he left off and assume his spot as one of the top young pass rushers in the NFL.