It's time for the Rashan Gary conversation

Rashan Gary's production might look decent on the surface. However, a closer examination reveals some cause for alarm.

Even before the Green Bay Packers completed the blockbuster trade to land Micah Parsons, they felt strongly about the quality of their defensive front. The group, entering its second season under DC Jeff Hafley, made strides over the course of 2024, and arguably none showed more progress than pass rusher Rashan Gary.

After playing five seasons from a two-point stance, Gary found life as a defensive end in Hafley’s system quite different. Over the first six weeks of last season, the veteran pass rusher managed just one sack and a pressure rate of 10.5%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That latter figure marked a steep decline from his strong 2023 campaign in which he registered pressure on 17.4% of his pass rushes.

But then Gary started to show signs of life. In a Week 7 matchup with the Houston Texans, he performed exactly how a premier defensive end should against a porous offensive line, generating pressure on 38.9% of his pass rushes and taking down C.J. Stroud for a sack.

Gary built on that breakthrough over the remainder of the year. Over the team’s final 11 regular-season games, he recorded 6.5 sacks and a pressure rate of 15.3%. Though not earth-shattering production, it represented a meaningful step for a former outside linebacker relearning how to play primarily as a down lineman.

That growth helped convince the Packers that Gary would thrive in Year 2 under Hafley. Not only would he have a field-tilting running mate in Parsons, but Gary also would benefit from a new voice leading his position room. Green Bay fired embattled D-line coach Jason Rebrovich during the offseason and replaced him with former New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. In the team’s estimation, these changes set up Gary for a career year.

However, entering Week 12, Gary has not lived up to those expectations. Worse for the Packers, his production so far in 2025 raises questions about his future in Green Bay.