The Green Bay Packers appear to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender entering Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, but there have been some question marks that have come up throughout the season.
At times, the Packers have looked like a clear-cut championship favorite. In other moments, they have looked like a team who could fall apart down the stretch of the season and miss the playoffs.
Green Bay has to find its identity down the stretch of the regular season.
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Defensively, the Packers have been elite most weeks. However, there have been times where the pass rush has not lived up to the hype. Micah Parsons has been consistent, but the player on the other side has been hit or miss.
Rashan Gary, who was drafted by Green Bay with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, started off the season strong. He recorded 7.5 sacks before the month of October had even concluded. Since then, he has been a complete non-factor.
Due to his disappearing act, Gary’s future with the Packers remains very much up in the air. It’s quite possible that Green Bay could consider moving on from him to save some cap space.
That is exactly what Matt Schneidman, a reporter covering the Packers for The Athletic, has suggested.
“LaFleur said earlier this season that Gary has never been a high snap-count guy. He’s making $24 million per year. That’s alarming,” Schneidman wrote.
Schneidman continued forward, revealing that he would not be surprised if Green Bay chose to cut ties with Gary in the offseason.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Gary is even released to free up cap space (doing so before June 1 would free up about $11 million, according to Over The Cap), but that might require Lukas Van Ness to show any sign of being a worthy No. 2 pass rusher.”
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Throughout his entire 103-game career with the Packers, the 28-year-old defensive end has recorded 266 total tackles, 46.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, and six defended passes. All in all, that is a solid career thus far.
However, making the kind of money he’s making, Green Bay should expect more from him. It’s quite possible that his time with the Packers could be coming to an end at the end of the year.
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